Taiwan-Fujian economic zone proposed

China is again considering establishing an economic zone west of the Taiwan Strait in East China's Fujian, Zhejiang and Guandong provinces, in an effort to turn the region into an economic bloc, state press reported. With its proximity to Taiwan, mainland planners aim to see the zone economically integrated with the island, carrying obvious political implications. Fujian's 2004 GDP totaled US$72.6bn, about one-fifth Taiwan's.