At yesterday's closing ceremony of the 4th Cross-Straits Economic, Trade and Cultural Forum, Wang Yi, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, announced ten measures to advance cross-Straits cooperation amidst the current economic crisis.

The ten points are:

-- To support the development of Taiwan-backed mainland enterprises. These are encouraged to participate in projects that can stimulate domestic demand. Taiwan-backed small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can enjoy the same preferential financial and credit policies as their mainland counterparts;

-- To improve the financing of Taiwan-backed enterprises. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and Bank of China recently decided that each of them will provide 50 billion yuan of funding for Taiwan-backed enterprises, including small and medium-sized entities, in the next two to three years. In addition to a previous commitment of 30 billion yuan of financing service, China Development Bank (CDB) will add another 30 billion yuan to its original support to Taiwan-backed enterprises;

-- To help Taiwan-backed enterprises upgrade their structures and ensure their sustainable development in the mainland. A professional team formed by talents from both sides will start work officially today, providing services on policies and regulations, industry-specific information, techniques of innovation and patent transfer, etc;

-- To encourage and support independent innovation within Taiwan-backed enterprises. Their involvement is to be welcomed in scientific and technological programs and in building innovation at both state and local levels;

-- To advance cross-Straits two-way investment;

-- To strengthen cross-Straits industrial cooperation;

-- To jointly accelerate the development of the flat panel display industry;

-- To enhance cross-Straits agricultural cooperation;

-- To expand the mainland market of Taiwan's fresh agricultural produce; and

-- To allow qualified Taiwan residents to be engaged in the legal profession in the mainland.

(China.org.cn by Fan Junmei, December 22, 2008)