The appeal, condensed into 16 Chinese characters, will be given to Hu this week by Wu Poh-hsiung, honorary chairman of Taiwan's Kuomintang party, when he meets the mainland's leader in Beijing.

"There is a lot of things to do after the signing of the ECFA, I hope the two sides can work forward on the 16-word principle," Ma said during a trip to southern Tainan country

Translated into English, the 16 words read: "Looking into realities, tolerating (political) differences, accumulating mutual trust and further creating win-win."

Negotiators from Taiwan and China signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing late June.

The pact, by far the most sweeping between the two sides, marks the culmination of Ma's Beijing-friendly policy, introduced after he assumed power in 2008.

Opponents say the accord will strengthen Beijing's power over the island, marking a first step towards reunification, an accusation rejected by Ma.

Ma has said he will press for free-trade agreements with other countries in the region, now that the agreement with China has been reached.

Taiwan already has free-trade deals with Panama, Guatemala and Nicaragua and has been pushing for tie-ups with other major trading partners as it tries to avoid being marginalised by the growing number of regional economic blocs.

But talks have become bogged down, largely due to pressure from Beijing, which still considers the island part of its territory, even though Taiwan has governed itself since the end of a civil war in 1949.

earlier related report
Taiwan forecasts GDP, jobs rise from China trade pact
Taipei (AFP) July 9, 2010 - Taiwan said Friday a major trade pact it has forged with China is expected to boost its economy by 0.4 percentage points and create 60,000 new jobs in two years.

The two sides last month signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) to remove tariffs for 539 Taiwanese products ranging from petrochemical to auto parts and textiles within three years.

The "early harvest" list will raise Taiwan's economic growth by an estimated 0.4 percentage points or an equivalent of 55 billion Taiwan dollars (1.71 billion US), an aide quoted economic minister Shih Yen-shiang as saying.

It is also expected to save about 29.5 billion Taiwan dollars in tariffs for local manufacturers and generate 60,000 new jobs, he said.

The signing of the agreement, by far the most sweeping ever between the two sides, marks the culmination of a Beijing-friendly policy introduced by Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou after he assumed power in 2008.

But opponents say the accord will strengthen Beijing's power over the island, marking a first step towards reunification.

China is Taiwan's largest trading partner, its largest investment destination, and now also home to a growing number of Taiwanese people.

Taiwan and China have been governed separately since a civil war in 1949, but Beijing considers the island part of its territory and has vowed to get it back, by force if necessary.

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