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; Hǎixiéhuì) is a united front organization set up by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the People's Republic of China for handling technical and business matters with Taiwan.^[2][3]

Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits

海峡两岸关系协会
Formation	December 16, 1991; 33 years ago (1991-12-16)
Type	GONGO
Purpose	Mainland relations with Taiwan
Location	Beijing, China
Official language	Standard Chinese
President	Zhang Zhijun
Executive vice president	Long Mingbiao[1]
Vice president	Sun Yafu Li Yafei[1]
Parent organization	Taiwan Affairs Office
Affiliations	Chinese Communist Party
Website	www.arats.com.cn

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 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 Taiwan Affairs Office, was the head of ARATS from 2008 to 2013. He has met his counterpart Chiang Pin-kung in 2008.^[4]

In 2024, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council banned its citizens from working at ARATS due to national security concerns.^[5]

List of presidents

Zhang Zhijun, the incumbent President of ARATS.

Name	Term
Wang Daohan	1991–2005
Vacant	2005–2008
Chen Yunlin	2008–2013
Chen Deming	2013–April 2018
Zhang Zhijun	April 2018–present

See also

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

References

1. "Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits". govt.chinadaily.com.cn. November 16, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
2. Chang, Wu-ueh; Chao, Chien-min (September 1, 2009). "Managing Stability in the Taiwan Strait: Non-Military Policy towards Taiwan under Hu Jintao". Journal of Current Chinese Affairs. 38 (3): 98–118. doi:10.1177/186810260903800305. ISSN 1868-1026.
3. Madoka, Fukuda (July 3, 2022). "The characteristics of Xi Jinping's policy-making on Taiwan affairs: the conflict between institutionalization and centralization". Journal of Contemporary East Asia Studies. 11 (2): 244–263. doi:10.1080/24761028.2023.2177094. ISSN 2476-1028.
4. "Data" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
5. "Taiwan bans its citizens from working for China's Confucius Institutes". Focus Taiwan. May 3, 2024. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.

External links

• Official website (in Chinese)