MOEA (Ministry of Economic Affairs) of Taiwan announced the government's decision to allow Taiwanese panel manufacturers to stake in or merge with Chinese companies and to set up 8.5G plants in China, according to a March 9, 2011 report by the China Times of Taiwan. As per the new rules, Taiwanese panel manufactures, such as AUO and CMI, are able to start up to three plants in China based on the same generation of technology used in plants in Taiwan as long as the manufacturers have already mass-produced such products and developed later-generation plants in Taiwan. It is reported that panel manufactures can begin submitting applications to MOEA from March 14, 2011 for approval to build new plants in China.