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Updated Monday, May 18, 2009 9:43 am TWN, The China Post news staff

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Beijing says it is prepared to conclude ECFA with Taipei

Agricultural cooperation would also be stepped up, Wang said. But none of these promises are more important than Beijing's decision to conclude the ECFA, without which Taiwan will be economically marginalized in Asia.

On January 1 next year, a new Asian free trade zone will be born. It will include the People's Republic of China and ten member states of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Commonly known as Ten-plus-One, the free trade zone excludes Taiwan, whose exports to China as well as all ASEAN countries will be heavily taxed, come January 1. Foreign trade is the mainstay of the Taiwan economy. When trade shrinks, so does the economy.

Taipei officially welcomed the Wang response to President Ma's call.

Liu Teh-hsun, vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) who doubles as its spokesman, said the Wang announcement differed little from an understanding reached between Chiang and Chen at Nanjing.

Though they were not agreed on the conclusion of the ECFA, Chen said at their Nanjing meeting a proposal might be made “any time” to put it on the agenda of their next meeting.

“It has been the never-changing stance of the government,” Liu said, “to start negotiation (on the ECFA) when both sides are ready.”

He did not say Taipei welcomes Wang's offer, but meant instead the MAC, the decision-making Cabinet agency on China policy, is ready to start the negotiation at once.

The SEF and the ARATS are the two quasi-government organizations charged with the conduct of relations between Taiwan and China, the former under command of the MAC and the latter controlled by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

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