Mainland, Taiwan to hold talks in mid or late December

Negotiators from the Chinese mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) will meet in Taiwan's Taizhong in mid or late December for a new round of talks between the two organizations.

The decision was made on Tuesday between Zheng Lizhong, deputy chief of the ARATS, and Kao Kung-lian, vice chairman and secretary general of the SEF in Hangzhou.

The two sides agreed to make preparations for four issues to be discussed at the talks, but did not disclose further details.

They also discussed how mainland donations to Taiwan's victims from the Typhoon Morakot would be used for disaster relief.

The Taizhong talks will be the fourth round of meeting between ARATS and SEF leaders since last year.

Founded in 1991 and 1990 respectively, the ARATS and SEF were authorized by the mainland and Taiwan to handle cross-Straits exchanges. The two organizations agreed to meet twice a year in the mainland and Taiwan in turn, after cross-Straits negotiations resumed last June following an almost 10-year suspension.

Source: Xinhua