The “12-5 Program” of mainland China has proclaimed the treatment of groundwater as a key issue to the improvement of the overall water environment. Recognizing that the groundwater contamination problems had been dealt with earlier in Taiwan, the Environmental Protection Ministry of mainland China (primarily the Pollution Prevention Department) showed interest of bringing in Taiwan’s regulatory and technology experience so as to facilitate the required works stipulated in the 12-5 Program. This project aims to hold a cross-strait conference in Taiwan and to assist one in mainland China for the groundwater regulatory issues and technologies needed in mainland China. In these two activities, experts and scholars from both sides will be invited to exchange information and experience, to identify the differences and the similarities of groundwater problems occurred in both sides, and to seek mutually interesting issues for possible corporation. A platform will be established for the government and private sectors, and university professors to learn about and understand the groundwater problems in Taiwan as well as in mainland China. The currently available materials of law acts, regulations, and standards pertaining to groundwater contamination in mainland China will be collected, for the sake of assisting Taiwan government sectors, research institutes and practitioner to make decisions on relevant issues. Specifically, there are four tasks in this project: (1) to collect and summarize the currently available regulatory codes of groundwater contamination in mainland China, (2) to attend a conference of groundwater regulatory issues in mainland China and to visit some contamination sites in mainland China, (3) to invite mainland Chinese professionals and to hold in Taiwan a cross-strait conference for environmental regulatory systems regarding soil and groundwater contamination, and (4) to explore the possibility of setting a standing committee to handle the long-term corporation and to pursue opportunities under the ECFA. The first task had been successfully completed, and the results are discussed in this report. For the other three tasks; however, they are halted because mainland China central government officers were not allowed to visit Taiwan before the president election to be held in January 2012. Also the central government officers were discouraged to officially meet Taiwan delegations and officers in China. It is recommended that the three remaining tasks be resumed in February to May in 2012 after Taiwan’s president election.

Cross-Strait Conference;Soil and Groundwater;Environmental Protection Regulation