Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will deliver a government work report at the opening of the annual session of China's National People's Congress (NPC) March 5 to outline the country's major policy guidelines and work agenda for the year. Economic structural adjustments will be China's priority tasks, as its economic scale has grown to be on par with Japan's. A major overhaul and upgrading is badly needed for China to sustain its spectacular growth recorded in the past decade. As a result, economic exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait will gain momentum and grow even faster and closer after the NPC annual session, as there is much Taiwan can assist China in its economic restructuring. For one thing, Taiwan can help with China's high-tech industry development. China has relied heavily on foreign provision of core technology in high-tech production, but with its higher level of industrial know-how, Taiwan can cooperate with China in developing new technologies or operating systems and create new styles of high-tech industries with 'cross-strait characteristics.' On China's current endeavor to expand its domestic demand and private consumption, Taiwanese companies, while gearing up to penetrate the vast Chinese market, can assist in upgrading the quality and functions of various consumer products. Taiwanese companies can also help with the introduction of a modernized marketing and distribution mechanism in China to enhance operational efficiency. Moreover, Taiwan can assist in bridging regional gaps in development in different parts of China. Taiwan-owned companies in coastal Chinese provinces are presently troubled by serious labor shortages, indicating that investment in coastal regions has become saturated. Taiwanese investors remain divided on whether they should relocate to China's hinterland. If governments on both sides of the strait can reach a cooperation deal, more Taiwanese companies will be willing to relocate to inland Chinese provinces to help with their development. With this in mind, the NPC session is expected to pass decisions that will allow for greater room for cross-strait cooperation. We hope both sides will speed up negotiation and signing of a proposed economic cooperation framework agreement to lay the groundwork for tariff concessions, market access and intellectual property rights protection that will help facilitate closer cross-strait cooperation. (Feb. 28, 2010) 