The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) (simplified Chinese: 海峡两岸关系协会; traditional Chinese: 海峽兩岸關係協會; pinyin: Hǎixiá Liǎng'àn Guānxì Xiéhuì; often abbreviated as 海协会 / 海協會) is an organization set up by the People's Republic of China for handling technical or business matters with the Republic of China (Taiwan).
The ROC counterpart to ARATS is the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF).
The foundation's founding chairman was former Shanghai mayor Wang Daohan, honorary chairman Rong Yiren. Negotiations with SEF stopped in 1999, and after Wang's death in 2005, no new chair was appointed until 2008. Following the election of Ma Ying-jeou to the presidency of the Republic of China on Taiwan, talks between ARATS and SEF have restarted and progress was made in the areas of transport and economy such as the Three links in 2008 and Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement in 2010. Chen Yunlin, who was formerly head of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, is the current head of ARATS. He has met his counterpart Chiang Pin-kung in 2008.
Read more about Association For Relations Across The Taiwan Straits: List of Presidents
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