2010-09-07 07:57

TAIPEI - Visiting Culture Minister Cai Wu said Monday he expects the mainland and Taiwan to create "favorable conditions" for a cultural exchange pact.

"We hope the two sides across the Taiwan Straits hold extensive talks on the cultural exchange pact and then sign it to create a cross-Straits cultural cooperation mechanism," said Cai in his address to the opening ceremony of a cross-Straits cultural forum in Taipei on Monday.

Culture Minister Cai Wu checks handicrafts during a visit to Nantou county in southern Taiwan on Saturday. [Lu Mei / China News Service]

"Economic and trade ties are very important, but they are no substitute for exchanges of culture and thought," he said.

Cai, who is also honorary chairman of the mainland-based China Friendship Association of Cultural Circles, said that since the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) had boosted cross-Straits economic relations, the two sides should now work to widen cultural exchanges.

He urged the two sides to adopt policies favorable to cross-Straits cooperation and cultural exchange, including simplifying application procedures.

The mainland will encourage cooperation between schools, troupes, museums and libraries across the Taiwan Straits, as well as encourage more cross-Straits cultural activities and festivals, he said.

He pledged to support cooperation between cross-Straits cultural industries.

He also said the mainland will assist companies seeking to hold cultural fairs on the island, while welcoming the participation of Taiwan companies in similar fairs on the mainland.

In his address to the opening ceremony, Liu Chao-shiuan, head of Taiwan's "national cultural association", said the forum is a milestone in the development of cross-Straits relations.

Cai attended the cross-Straits cultural forum at the invitation of the Taiwan-based Sheen Chuen-Chi Cultural and Educational Foundation.

More than 150 experts from the mainland and Taiwan discussed the development of the cultural industries on both sides of the Straits at the one-day forum.

The mainland and Taiwan signed the ECFA in June. Under the agreement, the mainland will reduce tariffs on 539 Taiwan products worth $13.83 billion, while the island will reduce tariffs on 267 mainland products worth $2.86 billion.

Mainland cultural officials also called for Taiwan to accelerate its participation in the mainland's fast-growing culture and entertainment industry.

Liu Yuzhu, director of the department of cultural market of the Ministry of Culture, said Taiwan could play a major role in providing content for the mainland's entertainment sector, which generated 870 billion yuan ($130 billion) worth of revenue in 2009, a 22 percent increase over the previous year.

Among its cultural contributions, the mainland annually produces 400 movies, tens of thousands of episodes of television drama and 3,000 novels.

Xinhua - China Daily