Twenty-one arbitration agencies on the Chinese mainland plan to
recruit Taiwan professionals as arbitrators, according to a
mainland official in Beijing?Wednesday.
Mainland arbitration agencies are encouraged to hire and better
train arbitrators from Taiwan to smooth the work and promote the
exchange and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait, said Zhang
Wanming, deputy director of the law and regulation bureau under the
Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, at a regular press
conference.
Since 1998, he said, 16 arbitration agencies on the mainland had
employed 48 arbitrators from Taiwan. They have handled more than
1,000 cases involving Taiwan people on real estate projects,
construction, joint venture and trade.
They are professionals such as lawyers, accountants and law
experts who are very familiar with laws and business on both sides
of the Strait, he said.
As an effective and cost-effective way to resolve business
disputes, arbitration has been more popular with Taiwan businessmen
on the mainland.
More Taiwan residents are interested in working for the mainland
arbitration agencies, Zhang said. "We believe that this will
benefit the exchanges across the Strait and better protect the
legal rights and interests of people from both sides."
To work for a mainland arbitration agency, a Taiwan resident
needs to have eight years of experience working for arbitration
agencies, as a lawyer or judge, as a senior researcher or law
professor or have expertise in the law and trade.
Besides, the mainland will better explain its arbitration laws
and regulations to Taiwan businessmen and improve the service,
Zhang said.
Mainland welcomes Taiwan people to contribute songs for
Olympics
Also during?the press conference on Wednesday,?Li
Weiyi, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council
said that the Chinese mainland welcomed people on the Taiwan Island
to contribute songs for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
The campaign to collect songs for the Games, which started four
years ago, involves not only the mainland people but also people in
Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as overseas Chinese and
foreigners, said Li.
"We welcome music professionals and amateurs in Taiwan to take
an active part in the campaign," he said.
Singers from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan started shooting
music videos of the first dozen Olympic songs in November in
Beijing.
In August, 133 singers from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and
Taiwan recorded the chorus "We Are Ready" to start the one-year
countdown to the Olympics.
(Xinhua News Agency December 27, 2007)