HISTORIC HANDSHAKE: Chen Yunlin (left), President of Chinese mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and Chiang Pin-kung (right), Chairman of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation, shake hands before beginning talks in Taichung, Taiwan on December 22 (YUAN MAN)

Chinese mainland and Taiwanese negotiators agreed to cooperate on agricultural quarantine issues and cross-Straits employment of fishermen, as well as to deal with different product quality standards.

Three agreements were reached at the talks between the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF). The ARATS and SEF talks began on December 22. It was the fourth round of negotiations since the two sides resumed talks in June 2008 after a 10-year suspension.

Experts from both sides hailed the latest agreements as a move forward in clearing obstacles and facilitating cross-Straits economic and trade partnership.