China will aid Taiwan in economic slump

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SHANGHAI, Dec 20 (Reuters): China, expanding its pledges to help neighbouring economies ride out the global financial crisis, said Saturday it was willing to meet requests for assistance from political rival Taiwan.
Ties between China and Taiwan, separated since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, have warmed since Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou took office in May. On Monday the two sides opened direct daily passenger flights, new shipping routes and postal links for the first time in six decades.
"We deeply sympathise with the economic difficulties faced by Taiwan and sincerely hope to cooperate on steps to cope with the international financial crisis," said Jia Qinglin, the fourth most senior leader of China's ruling Communist Party.
"I solemnly declare that if the global economic situation continues to deteriorate and Taiwan asks for measures to ease its economic difficulties, the mainland is willing to do its utmost to provide aid."
Jia said China was willing to make it easier for Taiwanese companies to trade and invest on the mainland, help them obtain financing, and cooperate to develop technologies in areas such as electronics, environmental protection and new forms of energy.
China hopes Taiwan will remove restrictions on imports of Chinese goods and let Chinese companies take part in big infrastructure projects on the island, he said.
Jia, opening a two-day meeting of over 400 delegates from the two sides, including businessmen, academics and officials of the Communist Party and Taiwan's ruling Nationalist Party, did not give concrete details of China's plans for economic assistance.
But his remarks were part of a flurry of economic diplomacy by China, which has so far suffered less from the global crisis than its neighbours and is presenting itself as a stabilising force in the region.