TAIWAN and China have signed a telecom agreement which will allow the island's suppliers tap the mainland's vast market, an official said on Friday.
The agreement calls for cooperation on the development of advanced telecom technologies, including faster next-generation networks, said Shih Huan Hsu, an official of Taiwan's economic ministry.
'The agreement is very important to local telecom equipment suppliers,' Mr Shih told AFP.
The pact, which was signed on Wednesday in Beijing, will allow Taiwanese suppliers to partner with China's telecom equipment makers and operators, he said.
The agreement comes as Taipei and Beijing are pushing for a comprehensive trade pact, known as the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement.
The pact, which Taiwan hopes to sign this month, is expected to include a list of industries that will benefit first from preferential tariffs, as well as measures on protecting intellectual property rights, officials say. But opponents say stronger competition from China will cost jobs and the accord will make the island more dependent on the mainland.
