China's cabinet said Monday it had approved a plan to develop further a coastal economic zone near Taiwan, in the latest sign of warming ties with the democratic island.
Under the plan, the economic zone on the Taiwan Strait's west side, mainly southeastern Fujian province and neighbouring regions, will be the focus of "major reforms," the State Council, or cabinet, said in a statement.
The cabinet did not elaborate on what those reforms could be, but said the economic zone, particularly Fujian, would be an experimental area for cross-strait exchanges and cooperation.
"Given the significant and positive changes in cross-strait relations at the moment, more powerful measures should be taken to put into play Fujian's comparative advantage," it said in a statement.
The economic zone, facing the island across the Taiwan Strait, is connected to the Pearl River Delta in southern China and the Yangtze River Delta to the northeast, two of the mainland's economic powerhouse regions.
The plan will be published at a later date, after it was finalised, it added.
Ties between China and Taiwan have warmed markedly since China-friendly Ma Ying-jeou became the island's president a year ago.
Last week China said it would allow Chinese companies to invest directly in Taiwan, beginning May 1, for the first time since their split in 1949 at the end of a civil war.
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