Yang Yi, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office, said so at a recent press conference in China, with the signing ceremony to be held in Beijing.

In 2009, a delegation led by the China Video Industry Association (CVIA) consisting of eight major color-TV makers in China visited Taiwan to place over US$3 billion in orders for TFT-LCD panels.

According to Yang, China's panel procurements from Taiwan are expected to help the TFT-LCD industry in Taiwan restore production capacity and even face a supply tension. Such moves, he added, have effectively upgraded Taiwan-made TFT-LCD panels' market share in China to 50% in 2009 compared to only about 35% in 2008.

The spokesman furthered that since 2009 procurement delegations organized by various provincial governments, makers' associations, and big conglomerates in China have together purchased about US$14 billion of IT, electronics, machinery, petrol-chemical, textile, processed food, and agricultural products from the island. Such procurements have effectively eased declining exports out of Taiwan since July 2009 to drive exports back to positive growth since November, Yang said.

An announcement by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council of the Taiwan Cabinet, however, pointed out real differences from Yang's statements, with China's procurement delegations being part of Cross-strait trade exchanges that benefit both sides rather than only Taiwan.