The Chinese mainland announced a new package of Taiwan-Strait trade policies designed to foster greater cooperation in agriculture, medicine, education and other areas.

Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee, made the list public on Saturday at the end of the two-day Cross-Strait Economic and Trade Forum in Beijing.

The package comprises policies set out by the State Council, China's Cabinet, and by other central government departments.

In agriculture, four new fruit species were added to the current list of 18 approved imports.

Taxes were eliminated on 11 kinds of vegetables produced by Taiwan farmers and on some aquatic products.

Taiwan fishing boats will enjoy equal treatment with their mainland counterparts in selling their catches.

Three more cross-strait agricultural cooperation pilot zones will be set up in the mainland cities of Foshan and Zhanjiang in Guangdong Province, and in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Zhangpu City in Fujian Province and Qixia in Shandong Province will establish two business incubator parks for Taiwan farmers.

A special marketing center will be set up in Fujian Province's Xiamen to increase convenience and reduce costs for Taiwan's fruit importers.

In other areas, the mainland will recognize university diplomas issued in Taiwan.

The Ministry of Public Security will add Shenyang, Dalian and Chengdu as points for issuing passes for Taiwan visitors to enter the mainland, in addition to present sites in Haikou, Sanya, Xiamen, Fuzhou and Shanghai.

Taiwan people will be allowed to become customs agents after passing mainland examinations.

Special clinics will be established for Taiwan visitors in some mainland cities.

Taiwan investors will be allowed to set up joint-venture hospitals on the mainland with local partners, with Taiwan investors holding as much as a 70 percent stake.

Taiwan residents will be allowed to acquire a license to practice medicine on the mainland after passing exams.

Li Bingcai, deputy director of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, also announced a set of joint proposals that resulted from the session.

Among them, Taiwan authorities will be asked to allow financial institutions from the Chinese mainland to set up branch offices in Taiwan. And the push will continue to establish direct transport across the strait and remove obstacles to building a cross-strait common market.

Wu Poh-hsiung, vice chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang, said at the forum's closing ceremony that "institutionalized exchanges between the mainland and Taiwan should be resumed on the basis of the '1992 consensus."'

The consensus states that both sides accept the "one-China principle," but each has its own interpretation of what that means. 

Editor: yan