Mainland official: New cross-Straits talks "still about economics"

BEIJING, Jan. 21 (Chinese media) -- A Chinese mainland official said

here Wednesday that the next round of talks between the mainland and Taiwan,

scheduled for later this year, will retain a focus on economic issues.

Talks between the mainland and Taiwan are conducted

through the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits

(ARATS) and the island's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF).

The talks were suspended for almost 10 years until

last June, when ARATS leader Chen Yunlin and SEF chief Chiang Pin-kung held

their first meeting in Beijing. The second meeting was held in Taiwan in

November.

The mainland and Taiwan reached many economic

agreements at previous rounds of talks, but so far no political issues have been

touched upon.

State Council Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Yang Yi

said the ARATS and the SEF are discussing a detailed agenda for the next round

of talks, which will be held within this year.

"A consensus is that the talks should still focus on

economic issues that people across the Straits are most concerned about," Yang

told reporters.

The topics will include regular cross-Straits

flights, cooperation between financial agencies, joint crackdowns on crimes,

intellectual property rights protection, quality inspection and quarantine of

agricultural products, avoidance of double taxation, investment protection and

permanent bureaus for media organizations, Yang said.

"We hope a broad consensus could be reached after the

talks ...to push the normalization of cross-Straits economic ties and boost the

peaceful development of cross-Straits relations," he said.

Reports said that the Taiwan side hoped the third

round of talks could be held in May or June.

Founded in 1991 and 1990 respectively, the ARATS and

the SEF are authorized by the mainland and Taiwan to handle cross-Straits

exchanges.