Vice president urges more cross-strait biotech exchanges

 2012/04/14                  Taipei, April 14 (CNA) China and Taiwan should increase exchanges in the field of biotechnology and work together to develop its potential benefits, Vice President Vincent Siew said Saturday at a medical conference.   Noting recent breakthroughs made in medical research, such as stem cell therapies, Siew said biotechnology was a high priority industry in both Taiwan and China, one that has greatly improved the lives of many people.   Exchanges between medical professionals from both countries should be encouraged, he added at the opening of the 1st Cross-Strait Biotechnology Forum.   Many opportunities exist because people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait are of the same race and speak the same language, said Huang Sungh-siang, president of the Taiwan Cross-Strait Medical Interchange Association, one of the event's organizers.   For starters, Taiwanese doctors could cooperate with Chinese physicians in bettering the medical services on offer there, said Huang, a retired doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynecology.   "Our long-term vision is that Taiwanese medical professionals and health care businesses can increase their presences in China," he added.   The three-day forum, held in conjunction with two other international symposiums on stem cell research and neural regeneration, invited over 20 medical specialists to discuss advances in biotechnology.   Topics of discussion include stem cell therapy in cancer and stroke treatment, as well as tissue regeneration technology.