China courts Taiwan civil and business groups in unification push

BEIJING -- China has been rolling out the red carpet for leading figures in Taiwan's economic and cultural spheres in a bid to expand the ranks of Beijing-friendly personalities in the private sector who would support the goal of unification.

Song Tao, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office under the mainland Chinese government's State Council, met in Beijing with a delegation from the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association this past Thursday.