The three pacts signed between Taipei and Beijing last week will automatically go into effect 90 days after approval by the executive branch, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.
MAC Deputy Minister Liu Te-shun (劉德勳) said the three agreements do not require legislative review because they do not concern revisions to existing law.
The Act Governing Relations between the Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that agreements that do not require legal amendment automatically take effect within a certain period of time after being referred to the legislature from the executive branch.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus said yesterday that the legislature does not have sufficient time to review the content of the agreements.
Taiwan and China last Tuesday signed three accords on fishing crews, quality checks and quarantine of agricultural products and standardization of non-agricultural products.
Both sides had originally planned to ink four agreements, but dropped one on the avoidance of double taxation after negotiations broke down because of “technical problems.” It was the first time an issue placed on the agenda of the cross-strait high-level talks had not been signed.
Liu yesterday said that the council does not oppose signing the agreement on the avoidance of double taxation before the next round of cross-strait official talks, which are scheduled for the first half of next year.
However, since the accord was not signed this year, China-based Taiwanese businesspeople would not be able to benefit from it until they file their income tax in 2011, Liu said.
Meanwhile, MAC Deputy Minister Chao Chien-min (趙建民) said yesterday the public wanted to see China repatriate well-known white-collar criminals such as former Tuntex Group chairman Chen Yu-hao (陳由豪).
Chen allegedly embezzled tens of billions of NT dollars from Taiwanese investors and is believed to be living in China.
Chao made the remarks while briefing foreign ambassadors and representatives about the talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday morning.
Chao said China had repatriated 12 fugitives linked to seven criminal cases since the two sides inked an accord on judicial assistance and a joint effort to combat crimes in June last year.
James Chang (章計平), deputy director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters later that after the two sides signed an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA), they could talk about security issues, such the missiles China has aimed at Taiwan.
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