Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) said on Friday that Taiwan needed to sign a trade pact with China, but added that the government would not open its doors too wide to China.
Making his case in Taiwanese at a forum on a proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Siew said that when the global economy was in crisis, Taiwan felt its impact. Given that these crises occur about every 10 years, Taiwan must find ways to cope with these challenges, he said.
In dealing with the crisis, Taiwan has many challenges to overcome: its national competitiveness must be enhanced, it must actively innovate domestically, and it needs markets abroad.
Furthermore, as Asian economies continue to integrate, Taiwan cannot be left on the outside, Siew said.
“Taiwan needs to sign an ECFA with China. Otherwise, it will be marginalized,” he said.
If Taiwan signs an ECFA with China, investment and employment opportunities will increase, and exports will grow, he said.
“This is a crucial moment for the nation, and we must seize the opportunity,” he added.
He said Taiwan would not open its doors too wide to China while negotiating the trade pact.
“Taiwan will start with the items it needs the most and then gradually move on to others,” Siew said, adding that “we will solicit the maximum benefit, and we hope to minimize the pressure on us in the future.”
He said that Taiwan’s goal was tariff concessions and the protection of investments and intellectual property rights.
“Taiwan will also insist on not allowing in more Chinese agricultural products or opening the door to Chinese workers,” he said.
Siew acknowledged that the ECFA would not benefit some sectors, and he said the government would try its best to exclude those sectors in the ECFA negotiations or put them off to a later date.
Meanwhile, the second round of talks on the ECFA, which Taiwan had originally hoped would take place in Taipei some time this month, are now most likely to be held at the end of the month, economic officials said.
The focus of the second round of negotiations will be the exchange of “early harvest” lists, which refer to industries and services on both sides that will be granted immediate tariff concessions or more liberal trade terms under the ECFA.
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with
Taiwan-based publisher Li Yanhe (李延賀) has been sentenced to three years in prison, fined 50,000 yuan (US$6,890) in personal assets and deprived political rights for one year for “inciting secession” in China, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said today. The Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court announced the verdict on Feb. 17, Chen said. The trial was conducted lawfully, and in an open and fair manner, he said, adding that the verdict has since come into legal effect. The defendant reportedly admitted guilt and would appeal within the statutory appeal period, he said, adding that the defendant and his family have
RSS