Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits

Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits
海峡两岸关系协会
Formation	December 16, 1991; 32 years ago (1991-12-16)
Type	GONGO
Purpose	Mainland relations with Taiwan
Headquarters	Beijing, China
Location	China
Official language	Simplified Chinese
President	Zhang Zhijun
Vice President	Sun Yafu^[1] Ye Kedong Li Yafei Jiang Yaopin
Parent organization	Taiwan Affairs Office
Affiliations	Chinese Communist Party
Website	www.arats.com.cn

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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 / 海協會) 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]

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]