Envoy: Taiwan visit to focus on economic issues

Chief Negotiator on Taiwan Affairs Chen Yunlin says his upcoming visit to Taiwan will focus on economic issues. He made the remarks in a meeting with journalists from both sides of the Straits.

Chen Yunlin described his upcoming Taiwan trip as a long-cherished dream.

He will head a delegation to the island for talks from November 3rd to the 7th. He says his trip will not involve political issues pertaining to cross-Straits relations or Taiwan's internal political affairs. It will be all about economic issues.

Chen Yunlin is scheduled to meet with Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Chiang Pin-kung. They will discuss cross-Straits direct shipping, air transport, postal services, food safety and tourism cooperation. Also high on the agenda is exchanging views on financial cooperation in the face of the global financial crisis.

Chen Yunlin said, "I invited ARATS officials and experts in finance, business, air transport, and tourism to go with me. They will discuss with experts in Taiwan about ways to withstand the financial crisis. "

Security is another concern for Chen Yunlin's visit after ARATS Deputy Chief, Zhang Mingqing, was shoved to the ground by a mob last week during a visit to Taiwan. Police in Taiwan held drills on Wednesday, making detailed plans to guarantee the safety of Chen Yunlin and his delegation.

On Thursday, local police filed charges against seven people for involvement in last week's attack. Authorities are seeking a sentence of 14-months behind bars for the leader of the mob, Wang Dingyu who's also a legislator with Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party.