Businesses from both sides of the Taiwan Straits held their first joint exhibition Tuesday at the 12th Cross-Straits Fair for Economy and Trade (CFET) in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province.

More than 30 enterprises from the mainland and Taiwan met in the exhibition zone to showcase their products and services in the newly built Fuzhou Straits International Convention Center.

The exhibition's Taiwan Pavilion, with an area of 19,000 sq m, is divided into nine exhibition zones: Taiwan cities and counties, biological technology, electronic products, construction material and modern furniture, jewelry and wedding items, Taiwan local food, children's items, Taiwan tea and Taiwan entrepreneurs.

An organizer of the fair said 423 local enterprises from Taiwan set up 904 booths in the Taiwan Pavilion, which has a larger area and more booths than previous years.

The rice from Pingtung, Taiwan, has proved particularly popular in the Taiwan Pavilion. This is the first time Taiwan's rice arrives in the mainland, which is another breakthrough after Taiwan's "zero-tariff" fruits arrived in the mainland in 2005.

Chen Xincheng, board chairman of a Taiwan agricultural trade company, said the rice is produced in Pingtung and has received the honor of being among the "Top 10 Taiwan Rice" brands three times.

Besides the Taiwan Pavilion, the city of Kaohsiung occupied an exhibition pavilion, along with Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu, to showcase its unique culture and customs.

Exchange activities

Under the theme of "Exchange, mutual benefits and win-win", the 12th CFET will host a series of business and cultural exchange activities.

These events include the Cross-Straits Scientific Understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine Forum, the 2010 Haixi Forum on Finance and Investment, an evening gala titled "Falling in love with Hualien's mountains and sea," as well as a firework show named "Fujian Tour."

All the forums and activities are expected to help promote trade and investment between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan as well as strengthening their industrial links.

The CFET has been held in Fuzhou annually since 1999, providing a golden opportunity for cross-Straits business exchange and cooperation.

(China Daily 05/20/2010 page5)