Taiwan envoy welcomes mainland proposal

Source: Xinhua | 04-20-2009 13:51

BEIJING, April 20 -- The mainland's proposal to help Taiwan fight the financial crisis was yesterday welcomed by the island's top envoy to the Boao Forum.

State Council Taiwan Affairs Office Director Wang Yi (L2) and Fredrick Chien (L3),top advisor of Taiwan-based  Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation, attend the  welcoming cocktail party in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, April 17, 2009. (Xinhua/Zhao Yingquan)

"The proposal was greeted enthusiastically by the media. The move reflects the mainland's goodwill toward Taiwan," Fredrick Chien, former "foreign minister" of the island, told China Daily on the sidelines of Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference this year, which ended yesterday.

"I believe it will help our economy recover from the damage of the financial crisis," Chien said. The theme of this year's event was "Asia: Managing Beyond Crisis".

On Saturday, Premier Wen Jiabao told Chien, who led a 30-member delegation from Taiwan as chief advisor of Taiwan's Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation, that the central government has a five-point proposal to help Taiwan's economy.