Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits

The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS; Chinese: 海峡两岸关系协会; 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 (ROC).

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.^[3]

List of presidents

Chen Deming, President of ARATS

See also

• Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement
• Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), Taiwan
• Taiwan Affairs Office

References

External links

• 海峡两岸关系协会 (Chinese)

Cross-Strait relations
People's Republic of China  Republic of China Organizations Taiwan Affairs Office Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits Communist Party of China Kuomintang Revolutionary Committee Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League Paramount leaders Xi Jinping Hu Jintao Jiang Zemin Deng Xiaoping People Chen Deming Chen Yunlin Zhang Zhijun Wang Yi Wang Daohan Organizations Mainland Affairs Council Straits Exchange Foundation Kuomintang Democratic Progressive Party National Unification Council Presidents Tsai Ing-wen Ma Ying-jeou Chen Shui-bian Lee Teng-hui People Lin Join-sane Wang Yu-chi Chiang Pin-kung Lai Shin-Yuan Koo Chen-fu Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu
Events	Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895) Retrocession of Taiwan (1945) February 28 Incident (1947) Chinese Civil War (1946–1950) First Taiwan Strait Crisis (1954–1955) Second Taiwan Strait Crisis (1958) PRC entry to the United Nations (1971) Lieyu Massacre (1987) Third Taiwan Strait Crisis (1995–1996) Anti-Secession Law (2005) Pan-Blue visits to mainland China (2005) Cross-Strait charter (2005–2008) Sunflower Movement (2014) 2014 Wang–Zhang meetings 2015 Xi–Chu meeting 2015 Ma–Xi meeting
Negotiations	Kinmen Agreement (1990) Wang–Koo summit (1993) Cross-Strait high-level talks (2008–current) Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (2010) Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Culture Forum (2006–current) Straits Forum (2009–current) Shanghai-Taipei City Forum (2010–current) Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement (2013) Cross-Strait Peace Forum (2013–current)
Concepts	Political status of Taiwan Chinese Unification One country, two systems One China, Better system Taiwan independence movement 1992 Consensus one China, respective interpretations no unification, no independence and no use of force Three Links One-China policy Two Chinas One Country on Each Side Three Noes Six Assurances Special state-to-state relations Four Noes and One Without Zhonghua Minzu Special non-state-to-state relations Cross-Strait Economic Zone Free area of the Republic of China Chinese Taipei

State Council of the People's Republic of China
Incumbent (12th): Li Keqiang Government
State Council (Cabinet) (Plenary meeting) members	Executive meeting Premier Vice Premiers State Councillors Secretary-General Ministers of Ministries and Commissions Auditor-General
General Office	Secretary-General Deputy Secretary-General
Cabinet-level departments constituting the State Council	Agriculture Audit Civil Affairs Commerce Culture Development and Reform Education Environmental Protection Ethnic Affairs Finance Foreign Affairs Health and Family Planning Housing and Urban-Rural Development Human Resources and Social Security Industry and Information Technology Justice Land and Resources National Defense People's Bank Public Security Science and Technology State Security Supervision Transport Water Resources
Special organization	State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council
Organizations	China Food and Drug Administration China National Tourism Administration Counselor's Office of the State Council General Administration of Customs State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine State Administration of Government Offices National Bureau of Corruption Prevention National Bureau of Statistics State Administration for Industry and Commerce State Administration for Religious Affairs State Administration of Taxation State Administration of Work Safety State Forestry Administration State General Administration of Sports State Intellectual Property Office
Administrative offices	Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Information/Internet Legislative Affairs Overseas Chinese Affairs Research Taiwan Affairs Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits Anti-cult
Institutions	Academy of Engineering Academy of Sciences Academy of Social Sciences Banking Regulatory Commission Development Research Center Earthquake Administration Insurance Regulatory Commission Meteorological Administration National Council for Social Security Fund National Natural Science Foundation National School of Administration Securities Regulatory Commission State Archives Administration State Electricity Regulatory Commission Xinhua News Agency
State administrations/bureaus administrated by Cabinet-level agencies	Atomic Energy Authority Civil Aviation Administration National Administration for the Protection of State Secrets National Energy Administration National Nuclear Safety Administration National Space Administration State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence State Administration of Coal Mine Safety State Administration of Cultural Heritage State Administration of Foreign Exchange State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs State Administration of Grain State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine State Bureau for Letters and Calls State Bureau of Civil Servants State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping State Cryptography Administration State Language Commission State Oceanic Administration China Coast Guard State Post Bureau China Post State Tobacco Monopoly Administration China National Tobacco Corporation
Special Commissions and Steering Committees	State Commission for Public Sector Reform Commission Office Commission on Food Safety National Energy Commission National Defense Mobilization Commission Leading Group for Coordinating the South-North Water Transfer Project Leading Group for Coordinating the Three Gorges Dam Project Leading Group for the Transformation of the State Council
Other agencies	Liaison Office in Hong Kong SAR Liaison Office in Macau SAR People's Armed Police
State Council is one in the same as the Central People's Government (constitutionally since 1954)