TAIPEI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Top negotiators on cross-Strait affairs of the Chinese mainland and Taiwan agreed Tuesday to continue discussing an investment protection agreement at the seventh round of talks scheduled for next year.
The mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) President Chen Yunlin and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung, also agreed to "actively" negotiate commodity and service trade, dispute settlement and economic cooperation, among other topics in future talks.
These topics are included in follow-up negotiations of the cross-Strait Economic Framework Cooperation Agreement (ECFA), which took effect in September.
"Any topics that bear fruits will be listed in the agenda of future talks," Chiang said at Tuesday's talks between ARATS and the SEF, authorized by the mainland and Taiwan to handle cross-Strait affairs.
Officials hope that the investment protection agreement, an important part of the follow-up negotiations after the signing of the ECFA, will be signed during a new round of talks next year.
During the talks, the two sides exchanged views on establishing an investment protection mechanism, improving transparency of investment regulations, reducing restrictions of mutual investment, and promoting investment facilitation, among others, according to a statement released after the talks.
It said the two sides should further improve the investment environment and protect investors' interests by following general practices and reflecting "cross-Strait features," in order to promote two-way investment across the Strait.
Some Taiwan businessmen investing in the mainland have complained that their business interests could not be properly protected as they were not familiar with relevant laws and regulations in the mainland, though a special law protecting Taiwan compatriots' mainland investment took effect in 1994.
ARATS President Chen Yunlin said the investment protection agreement is concerned with the "immediate interests of Taiwan businessmen investing on the mainland."
"Investment protection concerns many aspects and departments, and we have not yet reached a deal that satisfies both Taiwan and mainland investors, so it's a pity that we could not sign the deal this time, but it's normal," Chen said.
The statement said the two sides would continue to discuss definitions of investors, treatment, investment facilitation, compensation for acquisition and damage, loss recovery, subrogation and transfer, as well as dispute settlement, among other topics.
According to statistics released by both sides, the mainland has been Taiwan's largest trading partner and export market since 2007.
Investment from Taiwan businesses is common in the mainland, but the number of mainland investors in Taiwan is still small, with more restrictions. The mainland has also pressed for inclusion of investment promotion into the protection agreement.
The statement also said the two sides would set up a committee for cross-Strait economic cooperation "as soon as possible" to ensure ECFA agreements can be reached and to supervise the implementation of the ECFA.
Chen said the cross-Strait talks next year should focus on a stable development of the institutionalized consultation mechanism between the ARATS and the SEF.
A poll, conducted by Taiwan authorities in charge of mainland affairs, shows that more than 70 percent of those surveyed in Taiwan support the institutionalized consultation mechanism between the mainland and Taiwan, saying the current cross-Strait talks are conducive to cross-Strait peace and stability.
The poll is conducted via telephone interviews with more than 1,000 Taiwanese above age 20.
Chen also pressed for earliest inclusion of technological, cultural and educational topics in cross-Strait talks.
The two sides were also engaged in preparations for allowing mainlanders' individual tours to the island "some time next year." Currently, Taiwan does not allow mainland tourists to travel individually, only permitting mainlanders' package tours with stays of up to 15 days.
Chiang said in order to "expand profits earned from mainland visitors," the two sides agreed to increase the number of mainland tourists to the island from 3,000 per day to 4,000 beginning Jan.1, 2011.
Latest figures show the number of mainland tourists visiting Taiwan in 2010 is likely to top 1.2 million, an all-time high.
Jiann-Chyuan Wang, vice president of Taiwan's Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER), a major private economic think tank, said Taiwan needs a larger market such as the mainland to drive its consumption, adding that mainlanders' individual travel to Taiwan would promote retail and service sectors, such as hotels.
Chiang also said airlines in Taiwan would increase the number of Spring Festival chartered planes to 122 to make return trips for Taiwanese working in the mainland more convenient.
On Tuesday afternoon, Chen also met with Taiwan's mainland affairs chief, Lai Shin-yuan, and exchanged views on the talks and cross-Strait relations.
Chen's mainland delegation will also visit the Taipei International Flora Expo Wednesday morning before leaving the city at noon.
The round of talks on Tuesday was the sixth in two years after the two organizations resumed talks in 2008 after a nine-year suspension. A cross-Strait medical and health care cooperation agreement was signed during the talks.
