Negotiators of the Chinese mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) began a preparatory consultation for their fifth round of talks here Monday afternoon.

The ARATS executive Vice President Zheng Lizhong and SEF Vice Chairman Kao Koong-lian attended the consultation.

Zheng said both sides would make "last minute" preparations during the consultation for signing the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) and an agreement on intellectual property rights protection at Tuesday's talks.

The ECFA, would "benefit people across the Taiwan Strait, and deepen economic cooperation, draw on each other's advantages, and realize mutual benefits," he said.

"The agreement will also enhance economic competitiveness and vitality of economies on both sides of the Strait," he said.

The inking of the two agreements would "open a new page" for cross-Strait negotiations and cooperation, Zheng said.

During the consultation, Kao said the two sides have set up a mechanism for conducting routine negotiations.

In the past two years, the two sides had conducted negotiations on an equal footing and with mutual respect, Kao said.

"We agreed to tackle the easy things first and difficult later and to deal with economic issues first and political later," he said.

The two sides "accumulated trust during the process, which laid a foundation for future negotiations," he said.

The ECFA would enable Taiwan companies to compete fairly on the mainland and help Taiwan attract investment, boost employment and revitalize its economy, he said.

The agreement on intellectual property rights protection could help establish a mechanism for protecting cultural and innovation industries across the Strait by utilizing laws and regulations on the two sides, Kao said.

The talks between the ARATS and SEF is scheduled for Tuesday. This will be the fifth round since the ARATS and the SEF resumed negotiations in June 2008 after a 11-year suspension.