272期两岸经贸大事纪

6/29  总统出访中美洲二友邦

马英九总统「兴谊之旅」于6月29日启程，此次出访共计7日，主要系参加巴拿马共和国新任总统瓦雷拉（Juan Carlos Varela）就职典礼，并顺访萨尔瓦多，与该国总统桑契斯（Salvador Sánchez Cerén）签署联合公报。此次参与巴国瓦雷拉总统就职典礼的外国元首、副元首及特使共20余位，总统与包括美国国务卿凯瑞（John Kerry）及西班牙总理拉霍伊（Mariano Rajoy）等各国代表热络互动。总统指出，我政府推动「活路外交」普获肯定，友邦也愿意配合执行相关政策。此外，到访的每个城市皆举办侨宴，参与侨胞共计超过1千余人。

7/5  电电公会昆山办事处挂牌成立

电电公会苏州（昆山）代表处7月5日挂牌正式成立，这是两岸第2家工商团体设立的第1个办事机构，经济部投审会执行秘书张铭斌与大陆商务部司长陈星、国台办经济局长徐莽共同揭牌。大陆第2家工商团体海贸会亦将来台成立代表处。

7/9  林中森董事长会见福建省委书记尤权

福建省委书记尤权于7月7日率团来台进行5天「走亲访友、合作交流、共同发展」参访行程，由南往北一路走访高雄、台南、台中、台北与金门等地。海基会林中森董事长9日会见尤权书记时表示，两岸除经贸互利双赢外，应可共定产业标准、共创全球品牌，盼福建作为领头典范，让全球对两岸刮目相看，也表示台商赴陆投资部分个案问题未获解决，盼望尤书记能多加关切。尤书记则表示，他是第一次来台湾，大陆正在推动经济体质的改革开放，希望营造公正、高效率投资环境，台商在大陆的权益不仅可以获得保障，台商困难也一定会想办法解决。

7/15  平潭海关正式揭牌　开启两岸快速通道

福建省平潭海关揭牌，平潭成为全大陆最大海关特殊监管区，将按「一线放宽、二线管住、人货分离、分类管理」管理模式，实行全岛开放。相关优惠政策包括允许台湾汽机车在临时牌照有效期内多次自由进出。福建省平潭对台小额商品交易市场（平潭台湾商品免税市场）也正式开业，这是大陆第二个对台小额商品免税交易市场。并将进一步推动跨境电子商务、海运快件、台车入闽、对台小额商品交易市场等各项业务发展。

7/16  大陆第2季GDP增7.5％

受工业、固定资产投资及消费成长带动，大陆第2季国内生产毛额（GDP）比去年同期成长7.5％，较第1季的7.4％增长；大陆经济趋稳回升，货币政策仍将维持小范围的定向降准，下半年将依赖财政政策来稳定增长。另外，大陆国家统计局公布数据显示，上半年大陆国内生产总值26兆9,044亿元人民币，按可比价格计算、年增7.4％。上半年第3产业快速成长，占全国GDP比例达到46.6%，成长速度高于第1及第2产业。

7/17  陆委会：民意高度肯定第二次「两岸事务首长会议」成果

行政院大陆委员会公布最新例行性民调，对于今年6月大陆国台办主任张志军首次访台，以及陆委会王主委与张志军举行第二次「两岸事务首长会议」，近7成民众赞成陆委会主委与国台办主任定期互访（69.0%）、多数民众认为有助于两岸事务处理（63.7%）、两岸官方往来对两岸关系良性发展具有重要意义（60.7%），并有助于大陆官方了解台湾民意（54.6%）。陆委会表示，未来政府将秉持「对等、尊严」原则，推动两岸官方互动机制有序运作。

7/18  我人均GDP　全球排名27

行政院主计总处指出，依世界银行的购买力平价（PPP）编算结果，2011年台湾由于相对物价水准排名全球106名，物价低使得购买力提高，PPP算得的每人GDP达39,059美元，超越日、韩，居全球第27，比2005年提升一名。

7/18  第6届海峡两岸观光交流圆桌会议在长春举行

第6届海峡两岸观光交流圆桌会议在吉林长春市举行，由「台湾海峡两岸观光旅游协会」（台旅会）会长谢谓君与大陆「海峡两岸旅游交流协会」（海旅会）会长邵琪伟共同主持。双方共同宣布第4批陆客来台自由行城市，从8月18日起再增加哈尔滨、太原、南昌、贵阳、大连、无锡、温州、中山、烟台与漳州等10个城市，合计开放陆客来台自由行城市已达36个城市。陆客来台自由行自100年6月开放至今年6月止，累计已超过124万7千人次，平均每日达2,785人次，今年赴台自由行人数可望突破百万人次。

7/22  林董事长会见江西省委书记强卫

江西省委书记强卫7月21日来台进行6天参访，从北到南共走访6县市。期间参与民俗宗教活动、经贸与文化推广活动、产业对接座谈。海基会林中森董事长22日会见强卫书记时除表达欢迎之意，并强调台湾为人民自由各抒己见的多元社会，不希望服贸协议的审议过程，影响两岸正常的交往合作与后续议题协商。强书记表示，江西已成为大陆中部地区台资企业数量最多、投资额最大的省份，台资企业成为推动江西发展的重要力量，两岸应经济合作，实现优势互补，合作共赢。

7/22  林中森董事长率团赴广东参访

海基会林中森董事长于7月22日至27日率「关怀广东台商参访团」赴花都、惠州、深圳、肇庆、佛山及顺德进行6天参访，期间出席「深圳台商协会24周年庆」、「肇庆台商协会18周年庆」，并参访台资企业、与台商座谈，除倾听台商心声，同时广宣两岸服务贸易协议相关内容，并鼓励台商回台投资。在会见各地官员时反映台商意见，协助台商解决问题。

Chronicle of Cross-strait Economic and Trade Events

August, 2014  No.272

6/29  President Ma visits two Central American allies

President Ma Ying-jeou embarked on a seven-day "Visit of Ascendant Friendship" on June 29. The main purposes of the visit were to attend the inauguration of President Juan Carlos Varela of the Republic of Panama and sign a joint communique with President Salvador Sánchez Cerén in El Salvador. President Varela's inauguration was attended by more than 20 foreign heads of state, deputy heads of state and envoys. President Ma had friendly exchanges with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and representatives of other countries. The president noted that the ROC government's "flexible diplomacy" earned broad approval and that allies were willing to implement related policies. Furthermore, banquets for overseas Chinese were arranged in each of the cities visited, attracting over 1,000 overseas Chinese participants.

7/5  TEEMA opens Kunshan office

The Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA) opened its Suzhou (Kunshan) Representative Office on July 5. TEEMA is the second industrial or commercial organization to set up an office on the other side of the Taiwan Strait. Emile Chang, Executive Secretary of the Investment Commission under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Chen Xing, a department chief under the mainland's Ministry of Commerce, and head of the Department of Economy under the Taiwan Affairs Office Xu Mang jointly unveiled the office plaque. The Association of Economy and Trade Across the Taiwan Straits also plans to be the second mainland industrial and commercial organization to set up a representative office in Taiwan.

7/9  Chairman Lin Join-sane meets Secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee You Quan

Secretary of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China You Quan led a delegation to Taiwan on July 7 for a five-day "relatives and friends, cooperation and exchange, and joint development visit." The group's northbound itinerary included stops in Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung, Taipei and Kinmen, among other areas. During a meeting with Secretary You on July 9, SEF Chairman Lin Join-sane said that, in addition to mutual economic and trade benefit, the two sides should jointly work to create industry standards and global brands. He expressed hope that Fujian would serve as a leading example and win global praise for the two sides. He also hoped that Secretary You could give greater attention to unresolved issues related to some Taiwanese investments in the mainland. Secretary You noted that this was his first visit to Taiwan. The mainland is now promoting economic reforms and opening and hoped to create an equitable and highly efficient investment environment. The rights and interests of Taiwan businesses in the mainland will be protected and ways will be found to resolve the difficulties faced by Taiwan businesses.

7/15  Pingtan customs office inaugurated, opening up cross-strait fast track

A customs office opened in Pingtan, Fujian Province. Pingtan is the mainland's biggest special customs supervision zone. The entire island will be opened up under a management model of "first-line loosening, second-line management, separation of people and goods, and classified management" management model. Related preferential policies include free multiple entry and exit by Taiwan vehicles during the provisional license validity period. Pingtan also has opened a small commodity market (the Pingtan Taiwan Product Duty-free Market). This is the second such market in the mainland. The zones will further promote cross-border e-commerce, marine express delivery, vehicle access from Taiwan to Fujian, Taiwan small commodity markets and other business development.

7/16  Mainland GDP expands at 7.5% pace in Q2 

The mainland's gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 7.5% over the same period of last year, helped by industrial and fixed investment and consumption growth, showing that the mainland economy has stabilized and is rebounding. Monetary policy will continue small scale  targeted RRR cuts. Financial policy is expected to sustain steady growth in the second half of the year. Additionally, the National Bureau of Statistics announced data showing that the mainland's GDP in the first half of the year was RMB 26.9044 trillion, representing a 7.4% gain calculated at comparable prices. In the first half of the year, tertiary industries grew rapidly to account for 46.6% of total GDP, outpacing gains in primary and secondary industries.

7/17  MAC: Public opinion highly positive on outcome of the second "meeting between the heads of the competent authorities for cross-strait affairs"

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) announced the results of its latest routine public opinion survey on the visit to Taiwan by Director Zhang Zhijun of the mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) and the holding of the second meeting between the heads of the competent authorities for cross-strait affairs with MAC Minister Wang Yu-chi in June this year. Nearly 70% (69%) of the public approve regular exchange visits by the MAC minister and TAO director. The majority of the people think this would be conducive to handling cross-strait affairs (63.7%); that official contacts across the Strait are important to the healthy development of cross-strait relations (60.7%); and that the visits help the mainland officials to understand public opinion in Taiwan (54.6%). The MAC stated that, in the future, the government will adhere to the principle of "reciprocity and dignity" in promoting mechanisms for the orderly operation of official interaction between the two sides.

7/18  Taiwan's GDP ranks 27th globally

The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics of the Executive Yuan indicated that, according to the World Bank's purchasing power parity (PPP) calculations, Taiwan ranked 106th globally in terms of relative price levels in 2011. The low prices increase purchasing power and boost Taiwan's per person PPP-adjusted GDP to US$39,059, ahead of Japan and Korea and ranking 27th worldwide, up one spot from 2005.

7/18  Sixth Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Roundtable held in Changchun

The Sixth Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Roundtable was held in Changchun, Jilin. Taiwan Strait Tourism Association (TSTA) Chairman David W.J. Hsieh and Chairman Shao Weiqi of the mainland's Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Association (CSTEA) co-chaired the meeting. The two sides jointly announced a fourth batch of cities open for mainland tourists to travel independently to Taiwan, effective from August 18, including Harbin, Taiyuan, Nanchang, Guiyang, Dalian, Wuxi, Wenzhou, Zhongshan, Yantai and Zhangzhou. The additions increase the number of mainland cities open to such travel to 36. From June 2011, when mainland tourists were first allowed to travel independently to Taiwan to the end of June this year, there have been more than 1,247,000 such visits in total, or an average of 2,785 travelers per day. The number of independent travelers to Taiwan from the mainland is expected to cross the one million mark this year.

7/22  Chairman Lin meets Jiangxi Provincial Party Secretary Qiang Wei

Jiangxi Provincial Party Secretary Qiang Wei arrived in Taiwan on July 22 for a six-day visit. Secretary Qiang's southbound itinerary included stops in six counties and cities. During the stay, he participated in folk religious activities, economic, trade and cultural promotion activities, and discussions on industrial linkages. SEF Chairman Lin Join-sane welcomed Secretary Qiang during a meeting on July 22. He emphasized that Taiwan is a pluralistic society where people are free to express their views and expressed hope that the review process of the Trade in Services Agreement would not affect normal cross-strait exchanges and cooperation and negotiations on follow-up issues. Secretary Qiang said that Jiangxi has received the largest number of Taiwan-funded enterprises and investments among provinces in central China. Taiwanese-funded enterprises  have become an important engine for Jiangxi's development. The two sides should build economic cooperation and complement strengths to achieve a win-win outcome.

7/22  Chairman Lin Join-sane leads a delegation to Guangdong

SEF Chairman Lin Join-sane led a delegation to visit with Taiwanese businesspeople in Guangdong Province. The six-day trip included stops in Huadu, Huizhuo, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Foshan and Shunde. During the stay, the delegation attended the 24th anniversary of the Shenzhen Taiwan Business Association and 18th anniversary of the Zhaoqing Taiwan Business Association. The group also visited Taiwanese-funded enterprises, and participated in Taiwan business forums to listen to the hopes of Taiwanese businesspeople, publicize the content of the Cross-Strait Trade in Services Agreement, and encourage mainland-based Taiwan businesses to invest back in Taiwan. During meetings with officials in various places, the delegation also reflected the views of Taiwan businesspeople and sought assistance in resolving the problems encountered by Taiwanese companies.