The Chinese mainland will enact a more relaxed policy regarding some small-scale spot trading with Taiwan in order to promote economic and trade exchanges on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The new policy will become effective Oct. 1 of this year, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) and the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

Small-scale trade, initiated in 1993, is the only type of trade in the form of direct shipping between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Small-scale trade with Taiwan is an economic exchange that supplements imports exchange across the Taiwan Straits and plays an active role in communications between the two sides.

According to the new policy, restrictions will be lifted on the tonnage and trade volume of ships from Taiwan, the MOC and GAC announced in a joint circular.

The first batch of pilot ports includes Shenjiamen in Zhoushan City and XiangshanShipu in Ningbo City, both located in Zhejiang Province; Mawei in Fuzhou City and Shijinggang in Quanzhou City, both located in neighboring Fujian Province; and Huizhou, located in southern Guangdong Province.

Commercial departments inside Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces and designated cities earmarked within the state plan will approve the business scope of small-scale companies.

(Xinhua News Agency September 7, 2007)