According to Xinhua News of April 15th, the national association of businesses funded by Taiwan compatriots held its first congress in Beijing on Sunday and elected its executive council and supervisory committee.

Chang Han-wen was elected Chairman of the association, while Ding Kun-hua was elected director of the supervisory committee, and Yeh Hui-te and other six people were elected vice-chairmen of the association based on nominations of the executive council and the supervisory committee.
   

The charter and methods for membership fee collection and management were also passed at the meeting, attended by more than 200 people.
   

The association will hold its inaugural meeting in Beijing on Monday.
   

The association, a non-profit organization initiated by Taiwan business people, is the first national association of businesses funded by Taiwan compatriots since the first local association of this kind was founded in Beijing in 1990.
   

Since then, over 100 local associations of enterprises funded by Taiwan businessmen have been founded in China with over 20,000 members, accounting for one third of total Taiwan-funded enterprises in the mainland.
    

Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, met with members of the newly-elected executive council and supervisory committee in Beijing on Sunday afternoon.
   

Chen expressed his hope that the association will serve Taiwan-funded enterprises in the mainland, protect their legal rights, promote their development and contribute wisdom and strength to promoting cross-Strait economic exchanges and cooperation and peaceful development in cross-Strait relations.
   

Chang said the association will provide services to Taiwan-funded companies in the mainland and serve as a platform to promote cross-Strait economic and trade exchanges and peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.¡¡Chang said seeking peaceful development of cross-strait relations is the desire of Taiwan-funded companies since a peaceful and harmonious investment climate is the prerequisite for their future development.¡¡The association will also energetically push for the early realization of direct links of mail, trade and transport services across the Taiwan strait, said Chang.