Mainland chief negotiator visits Taiwan agri-industry sites

Mainland chief negotiator Chen Deming led a business delegation to visit an agriculture industrial park and a high-tech farm in southern Taiwan's Pingtung county on Wednesday, the second day of his eight-day trip to the island.

Chen, president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), said there are many opportunities for cross-trait cooperation in the agricultural sector, as the mainland boasts abundant land resources and Taiwan has sophisticated agri-technology. He made the remarks while visiting Sunny Rich Agri & Biotech Co. Ltd, a local high-tech agricultural company.

The agriculture industry worldwide has reached a stage where restructuring is imperative, and people demand a higher quality of agricultural products and food, Chen said when explaining why he put the high-tech agricultural company on his itinerary.

Chen expressed hopes that both sides could cooperate more in areas such as ensuring food safety and exploring the global agricultural market together in the future.

The delegation also visited Pingtung Agricultural Biotechnology Park (PABP) as part of Chen's plan to study Taiwan's free economic pilot zones, which carry a lot of weight in the island's export-oriented economy.

The PABP is home to more than 70 enterprises engaged in the production of animal vaccines, bio-cosmetics, traditional Chinese herbal medicines, bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides, among other agricultural products.

Chen inquired about local workers' wages, policy preferences for the industry park, and criteria for enterprises to move in.

The delegation also visited TCI Co., Ltd, a producer of beverages and beauty-related products with a focus on integrated bioscience design.

At the invitation of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), Chen led a business delegation, including mainland officials, heads of industrial parks, and private company leaders, to visit Taiwan's enterprises and industry parks.

It is the first time Chen has visited Taiwan as the ARATS president. The delegation will return to the mainland on Dec. 3.