Economic zone open to Taiwan investment and 'is not political'

There are no political motives behind the setting up of a special economic zone in Fujian province that is open to Taiwan investment, a mainland official said.

The Pingtan Experimental Zone "belongs to the economic domain", and is not an experimental laboratory for the "One Country, Two Systems" policy, Yang Yi, spokesman of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

Yang highlighted the attractiveness of the mainland's economic policies and urged Taiwan to reciprocate.

With an area of about 324 square kilometers, Pingtan is the closest mainland island to Taiwan. The mainland aims to channel 60 billion yuan ($9.53 billion) to develop the zone this year, targeting an overall investment of 250 billion yuan during the 2011-15 period, Fujian Governor Su Shulin said in Taiwan's Hsinchu city on Sunday.

Su, who went on a five-day visit to Taiwan on Saturday, said that the Pingtan project is a goodwill "package" sent across the Straits.

"We would like to open the package and let everyone look inside to see whether the gift comes from genuine goodwill or has strings attached," Su said in a speech on Tuesday when he met Lien Chan, honorary chairman of the Kuomintang, Taiwan's ruling party.

"If the answer is positive, we are ready to offer it at anytime," he said.

"I believe Pingtan will become a modern metropolis within a decade," he said.

Tang Yonghong, deputy director of the economic research office of the Taiwan Research Institute in Xiamen University, said some Taiwan politicians have overreacted and targeted the development of Pingtan as political.

How to develop Pingtan on a mutually satisfactory basis should be done after comprehensive talks, he said.

Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, said during a meeting with Su that now was an opportune time for Taiwan and Fujian to enhance cooperation.

Many industries, including Taiwan's petrochemical industry, should take the opportunity to upgrade and move upstream, he said.

Taiwan's investment on the mainland surged to nearly $100 billion last year, with 7 percent of the investment in Fujian province, Xinhua reported.

At Wednesday's news conference in Beijing, Yang said Vice-Premier Li Keqiang will meet Wu Den-yih, chief adviser of the Taiwan-based Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation, during the upcoming Boao Forum for Asia.

The three-day event is scheduled to open on April 1 in Boao, a resort on the east coast of South China's Hainan province.

Wu also holds the post of secretary-general of the Kuomintang.

Yang said the mainland welcomes cross-Straits exchanges, including members of Taiwan's major opposition Democratic Progressive Party, especially those from the grassroots, to visit the mainland.

Contact the writers at humeidong@chinadaily.com.cn and zhaoyinan@chinadaily.com.cn

Tan Zongyang in Fuzhou contributed to this story.