TAITRA Chairman Liang Kuo-hsin's Shaanxi visit yields fruitful results

The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, also known as the Taiwan Trade Center) and the Cross-Strait Economic and Trade Exchange Association (Haitra), under the Mainland's Ministry of Commerce, held the "2015 Annual High-Level Exchange Meeting of the Two Associations" on the 16th in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, Mainland China, to jointly discuss how cross-strait economic and trade exchanges can achieve deeper and closer interaction. TAITRA Chairman Liang Kuo-hsin also met with Shaanxi Governor Lou Qinjian on the afternoon of the 16th to discuss future economic and trade exchange and cooperation between Shaanxi and Taiwan.

This TAITRA visit received great attention from the Shaanxi Provincial Government. Shaanxi Governor Lou Qinjian specially received and met the TAITRA delegation on the afternoon of the 16th. When Lou Qinjian served as Vice Minister of the Mainland's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in November 2009, he also led a delegation to visit Taiwan, creating opportunities for cross-strait cooperation in the information industry. After many years, cross-strait industries have made considerable progress, and import and export demand has also changed. During the talks, TAITRA Chairman Liang Kuo-hsin once again invited Lou Qinjian to lead a delegation to Taiwan for procurement and exchange, to further match up enterprises from the two places and jointly expand bilateral trade.

The regular high-level exchange meeting between Haitra and TAITRA (Taiwan Trade Center) is an important annual event between the two associations and is crucial to the economic and trade development of both sides and cooperation in the exhibition industry. At this year's high-level exchange meeting, both sides reached consensus on multiple issues, including that Haitra will continue to support the Taiwan Excellence Exhibition, that both sides will form delegations to participate in the Cross-Strait Exhibition Forum, that both sides will jointly expand participation in cross-strait professional exhibitions, and that Haitra will support TAITRA in forming a delegation to participate in the "Canton Fair."

TAITRA also expressed support for activities held by the Mainland, including the Quanzhou Agricultural Products Procurement and Order Fair, the Beijing Fair, and the "Cross-Strait Economic and Trade Cooperation and Development Forum" during the Xiamen Investment and Trade Fair. In addition, Haitra stated that this year it will further organize delegations to Taiwan to participate in procurement targeting Mainland e-commerce, Taiwan TV shopping, and the fishery industry; the two sides also reached multiple consensus points on aspects such as exchange of information through association publications and cooperation in trade in services, broadly and deeply strengthening cooperation between the two associations, with diverse and fruitful results.

Both sides will, in accordance with the consensus reached, jointly promote the connection between Taiwan's industries and the Mainland's market, creating new cooperation opportunities for mutually beneficial and complementary cross-strait economic and trade development.