Taiwan plans to open up semi-official trade offices in six cities in China in the next two months, which authorities said Tuesday was a sign of closer economic links with the mainland. The offices, to be established in major cities including Beijing and Shanghai, will help Taiwan businesses on the mainland and help arrange procurement delegations heading for the island, according to the officials.
The offices will be set up by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, a semi-official agency charged with promoting overseas commerce. "The council will become the first economic and trade group from Taiwan to formally open up liaison offices in the mainland," economic minister Shih Yen-shiang said while meeting businessmen in Taipei. Taiwan and China are still technically at war and Beijing has refused to renounce the use of force against the island despite the fact it has governed itself for more than six decades.