BEIJING - Mainland and Taiwan negotiators have opened the inaugural meeting of the cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Committee (ECC) in a bid to push for closer economic exchanges.

Behind closed doors, the day-long meeting in Taiwan's Taoyuan county was co-convened by Zheng Lizhong, vice-president of the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation Vice-Chairman Kao Koong-lian.

The negotiators discussed issues concerning the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), a landmark economic pact that took effect in January and sets the stage for unprecedented cross-Straits economic interaction.

On the agenda were the establishment of working groups under the cooperation commission and issues concerning merchandise, the service industry, an investment protection agreement, a dispute-settling mechanism as well as the evaluation of the implementation of the framework agreement's "early harvest" program.

The commission was established last month under a framework agreement signed between the mainland and the island in June last year.

The first cooperation commission meeting was "another historic moment in the development of cross-Straits relations", and it will promote economic development on both sides through normalization of economic cooperation, Zheng said.

Zheng said that "actively promoting the implementation of the ECFA" was enshrined in the mainland's proposal for formulating the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) on economic and social development.

Kao said both sides paid great attention to the commission meeting and both should be sincere and work hard to ensure the framework agreement benefits people on both sides.

Yu Xintian, head of the Shanghai-based Taiwan Research Institute, said on Tuesday that the regular meeting of the ECC will help the two sides work on the ECFA's follow-up agreements.

Last year, cross-Straits trade volume totaled $145.4 billion, a year-on-year rise of 37 percent.

Shao Qiwei, head of the National Tourism Administration, also visited the island on Tuesday with a 400-strong delegation.

Upon his visit to Chiang Pin-kung, the Straits Exchange Foundation chairman, Shao said the mainland will allow residents in several pilot cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, to travel to Taiwan as individuals from the second quarter of this year, if the preparation work goes on well.

He also said the mainland would like to qualify more travel agencies to offer Taiwan tour packages.

The number of mainland tourists to Taiwan reached a record high of 1.2 million last year, up by 103 percent year-on-year.

The president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, Chen Yunlin, will arrive in Taiwan on Wednesday for a six-day visit to learn about the island's agricultural sector.

China Daily