Taipei, Oct. 4 (CNA) Opinions on cross-strait trade relations differed widely in a forum of the World Chinese Traders Convention Wednesday, suggesting a consensus on the long-standing issue still needs to be achieved.
Speaking at the event, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu reiterated the government's priority to enforce the policy of "proactive management with effective liberalization."
Hsieh Chin-ho, chief executive officer of the business monthly Wealth magazine, advocated full-scale liberalization.
Other opinions were somewhere in between.
Traders already investing in China are now facing new challenges as Chinese businesses have become more globally competitive, said Chiao Yu-chun, president of the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association.
And they always face the possibility of being affected by the currency exchange for the Chinese yuan, Chiao said, adding that smart traders will use government limitations to their advantage and still reap a profit, instead of simply complaining.
Trade relations between Taiwan and China can be described as a "co-petitive" (cooperation and competitive) relationship, said David Weng, president of Essence Technology.
"In fact, Taiwan has a very good investment environment as it has a solid education system, a highly competitive computer hardware manufacturing industry and top talent in international management and design," he said.
"All we need do is understand what role we should play in a new business model and what leverage we have on the China market," Weng added.