Logistics upgrade needed on growing cross-Straits trade

XIAMEN - Experts have called for improved logistics services to handle growing trade between Chinese mainland and Taiwan during a two-day forum on cross-Straits logistics that concluded Monday.

"Increased trade and strong policy support on both sides of the Taiwan Straits have provided fresh opportunities for logistic services to grow," Eric Chiang, secretary-general of Kaohsiung Commerce and Trade Development Association, said at the forum, which is being held in the coastal city of Xiamen in Southeast China's Fujian province from June 16 to 17.

Logistics have become a major challenge in expanding trade, experts attending the forum said.

The coordinated development of logistic services on both sides of the Straits will facilitate the flow of goods and further stimulate cross-Straits trade, they said.

Trade between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan surged 46.5 percent in the first quarter to $51.44 billion, according to the General Administration of Customs.

East China's Fujian province, which is located across the Straits from Taiwan, has been a major destination for goods imported from the island for further distribution across the Chinese mainland.

Business exchanges between Fujian and Taiwan have boomed thanks to a string of trade-related pacts, including the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) signed in 2010.

Experts called for improvements in the channels that are used to move goods between Fujian and Taiwan.

"There are a lot of areas for cooperation in logistics," said Guo Zhenjia, deputy head of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

"Whereas logistics in Fujian is lagging behind that of in Taiwan, the mainland market has been very attractive for the island and promises large and sustainable demand," Guo said.

Experts at the forum said cooperation in the logistic sector will benefit both sides, as service providers on the Chinese mainland can learn advanced management from their peers in Taiwan, while companies in Taiwan can expand their market reach to the mainland.