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TAIPEI: Taiwan has called off a delegation that was to have left Monday morning for informal trade talks in China, after the mainland said it needed more time to prepare, a Taiwanese official told AFP.
This marks the latest in a series of delays in the talks, the fourth round since the China-friendly Ma Ying-jeou was elected president last year.
"(China) informed us a couple of days ago they need more time to prepare for the talks. Their schedule is tight," said Huang Chih-peng, director of the Bureau of Foreign Trade and the head of the delegation.
Last month, Taiwan delayed the informal talks, saying its officials were busy answering budget questions in parliament.
The two sides are trying to find a new time for the talks, which are expected to set a timetable for formal discussions on a long-awaited bilateral trade agreement, Huang said.
"Despite the delay, our goal of signing the trade agreement stays the same," Huang said.
Ma's government aims for an agreement to be signed early next year, arguing it could lift the island's economic growth by one percentage point.
However, the opposition, which favours independence from China, has warned the pact could imperil the island's separate status.
Taiwan and China split at the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still considers the island part of its territory, vowing reunification, even if it has to use force.
- AFP/yb
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