| Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits | |
| Native Name: | 海峡两岸关系协会 |
| Type: | GONGO |
| Purpose: | Mainland relations with Taiwan |
| Location City: | Beijing |
| Location Country: | China |
| Language: | Standard Chinese |
| Leader Title: | President |
| Leader Name: | Zhang Zhijun |
| Leader Title2: | Executive vice president |
| Leader Name2: | Long Mingbiao[1] |
| Leader Title3: | Vice president |
| Leader Name3: | Sun Yafu Li Yafei |
| Parent Organization: | Taiwan Affairs Office |
| Affiliations: | Chinese Communist Party |
The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS; ; often abbreviated as) 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]
| Name | Term | |
|---|---|---|
| Wang Daohan | 1991–2005 | |
| Vacant | 2005–2008 | |
| Chen Yunlin | 2008–2013 | |
| Chen Deming | 2013–April 2018 | |
| Zhang Zhijun | April 2018–present |