Wen backs trade zone across from Taiwan
Premier Wen Jiabao threw his weight behind a newly released plan to develop an economic zone on the mainland side of the Taiwan Strait during a three-day inspection trip to Fujian province .
Xinhua quoted Mr Wen as saying it was necessary to step up development of the economic zone, which sits on the west side of the strait, and that the government had long been planning to do so.
A new economic zone could take advantage of the currently smooth relations across the strait and forge stronger economic links with Taiwan. It would also play a considerable role in combatting the global economic crisis, the premier said yesterday, the last day of his trip.
The economic zone, which would extend to meet the Yangtze Delta in the north and the Pearl River Delta to the south - effectively creating a superzone running from Guangdong to Jiangsu province - would also serve as a new growth engine on the mainland, the premier said during his inspection of nine companies in the cities of Fuzhou , Quanzhou and Xiamen .
He also said that 'creativity is the key to our national strength building', the Xinhua report said.
He urged labour-intensive industries to become technology-intensive, adding that information technology and environmental industries would be focuses of the new zone.
Last week, the State Council endorsed the plan to set up the new economic zone, which would principally be an experimental zone for promoting cross-strait exchanges and would embrace 'major reforms', according to the council statement.
Beijing will speed up construction of infrastructure in the region to meet the demand resulting from the 'three direct links' - air and sea transport and postal services - with Taiwan.
The zone's eastern region would also become an 'important centre for natural and cultural tourism'.
The zone also covers parts of neighbouring Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces.
