View source for Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits

{{Short description|People's Republic of China organization for dialog with Taiwan (Republic of China)}}
{{distinguish|text = [[Arats]], a Mongolian term for farmer}}
{{Use American English|date = January 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = January 2019}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                     = Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits
| image                    = 
| alt                      = 
| caption                  = 
| map                      = 
| abbreviation             = 
| formation                = {{Start date and age|1991|12|16}}
| native_name              = {{lang|zh-Hans|海峡两岸关系协会}}
| type                     = [[Government-organized non-governmental organization|GONGO]]
| status                   = 
| purpose                  = Mainland relations with Taiwan
| location_city            = [[Beijing]]
| location_country         = [[China]]
| membership               = 
| language                 = [[Standard Chinese]]
| leader_title             = President
| leader_name              = [[Zhang Zhijun]]
| leader_title2            = Executive vice president
| leader_name2             = Long Mingbiao<ref name="i149">{{cite web | title=Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits | website=govt.chinadaily.com.cn | date=2020-11-16 | url=https://govt.chinadaily.com.cn/s/202011/16/WS5fc4c8e5498eaba5051bd413/association-for-relations-across-the-taiwan-straits.html | access-date=2024-07-07}}</ref>
| leader_title3            = Vice president
| leader_name3             = Sun Yafu<br />Li Yafei<ref name="i149"/>
| parent_organization      = [[Taiwan Affairs Office]]
| affiliations             = [[Chinese Communist Party]]
| budget                   = 
| website                  = {{Official URL}}
| remarks                  = 
}}
{{Politics of China|expanded= Taiwan}}

The '''Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits''' ('''ARATS'''; {{Lang-zh|s=海峡两岸关系协会|p=Hǎixiá Liǎng'àn Guānxì Xiéhuì}}; often abbreviated as {{Lang-zh|s=海协会|p=Hǎixiéhuì|labels=no}}) is a [[United front (China)|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]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chang |first1=Wu-ueh |last2=Chao |first2=Chien-min |date=September 1, 2009 |title=Managing Stability in the Taiwan Strait: Non-Military Policy towards Taiwan under Hu Jintao |journal=[[Journal of Current Chinese Affairs]] |language=en |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=98–118 |doi=10.1177/186810260903800305 |issn=1868-1026 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Madoka |first=Fukuda |date=2022-07-03 |title=The characteristics of Xi Jinping's policy-making on Taiwan affairs: the conflict between institutionalization and centralization |journal=Journal of Contemporary East Asia Studies |language=en |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=244–263 |doi=10.1080/24761028.2023.2177094 |issn=2476-1028 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Data |url=http://www.mac.gov.tw/public/Data/963010212071.pdf |access-date=September 17, 2010 |archive-date=June 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610101124/http://www.mac.gov.tw/public/Data/963010212071.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2024, Taiwan's [[Mainland Affairs Council]] banned its citizens from working at ARATS due to national security concerns.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-03 |title=Taiwan bans its citizens from working for China's Confucius Institutes |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/cross-strait/202405030001 |access-date=2024-05-05 |website=[[Focus Taiwan]] |language=en-US |archive-date=May 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240503183553/https://focustaiwan.tw/cross-strait/202405030001 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==List of presidents==
[[File:Msc 2006-Sunday, 11.00 - 13.00-Zhang.jpg|thumb|[[Zhang Zhijun]], the incumbent President of ARATS.]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! 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|Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), Taiwan]]
* [[Taiwan Affairs Office]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website}} {{in lang|zh}}
{{Cross-Strait relations}}
{{State Council of the People's Republic of China}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Association For Relations Across The Taiwan Straits}}
[[Category:1991 establishments in China]]
[[Category:Cross-strait relations]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Beijing]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1991]]
[[Category:United front (China)]]
[[Category:Chinese unification]]
[[Category:1991 in Beijing]]


{{PRChina-stub}}
{{Taiwan-org-stub}}