The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said that Taiwan and China were not yet ready to negotiate an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA), but the two sides could touch on the issue during upcoming high-level cross-strait talks.
MAC Deputy Minister Liu Te-shun (劉德勳) said the pact President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration wants to sign with Beijing was unlikely to be on the agenda at the next meeting between Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林). The meeting is scheduled to be held in Taichung in December.
The two sides have agreed to address four issues during the December meeting: fishing industry cooperation, quality checks for agricultural products, cross-strait cooperation on inspection and certification and the prevention of double taxation.
Regarding an ECFA, Liu said they did not rule out arranging the two top negotiators to “exchange opinions” during their meeting in December if necessary.
“It has been the consensus of both sides that the SEF and ARATS chairmen can exchange opinions on issues of common interest,” Liu said, dismissing speculation that Beijing had postponed negotiations on the economic agreement because of controversies over the recent visit by the Dalai Lama and the screening of a documentary about exiled Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer.
Liu made the remarks in response to questions about comments made by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Spokesman Wang Yi (王毅) on Sunday.
Wang said he hoped both sides could launch discussions about an ECFA before the end of the year, adding that talks could take place during the December meeting “if both sides consider it necessary.”
Liu said the two sides will enter the next phase of a “joint study” of the issue following each side’s “individual study” and publication of their official reports.
Liu said because the Ministry of Economic Affairs began the fourth round of unofficial consultation yesterday, a “joint study” would come next. If the two sides are ready after the study, negotiations will follow, he said.
Liu said both sides were moving in the same direction and that the council hoped to complete each step of the process in a gradual but speedy manner.
Chiang recently said that he and Chen would set the timetable for negotiations during their meeting in December, and that he hoped they could sign the planned pact during the following meeting in the first half of next year.
Meanwhile, Liu said the council planned to complete an assessment report on the effectiveness of allowing Chinese investment to enter the local market by the end of the year.
Since the policy went into effect on June 30, Liu said the council had planned to spend six months soliciting potential investors.
Liu made the remarks in response to Wang’s call on Sunday to conduct timely evaluations on the efficacy of the policy and make adjustments.
Wang urged Taiwan to further open its market in a gradual but fair and reasonable manner to make it possible for Chinese business to stay in Taiwan long-term.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS