Taiwan and China yesterday wrapped up the fifth round of cross-strait negotiations by signing the landmark, yet controversial, Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA). Both sides also signed a copyright protection deal and resolved to pursue an investment protection pact by the end of the year.
Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang-Pin-kung (江丙坤) and his Chinese counterpart, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), signed and exchanged the documents in a ceremony held at a hotel in Chongqing.
The government has said it will send the pact to the legislature for approval before it is implemented. According to the document signed yesterday, each side is to issue a written notice to the other following the completion of the procedures.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“The deal will take effect the day after both sides receive confirmation,” the agreement says.
During a meeting between the SEF and ARATS yesterday morning prior to the signing of the ECFA at 2:30pm, negotiators did not revise the “early harvest” lists they agreed on during a preparatory meeting in Taipei on Thursday last week.
Once the ECFA takes effect, the early harvest lists will allow the 539 items on Taiwan’s list, about US$13.8 billion in exports per year, to receive zero tariff treatment within the next two years, while Chinese exporters will get a reciprocal deal on 267 items, US$2.9 billion in exports per year.
Both sides agreed to establish a cross-strait economic cooperation commission, which will be responsible for follow-up negotiations and supervision of the agreement.
The ECFA also includes a clause authorizing either party to inform the other party should the need to suspend the agreement arise, but it does not stipulate on what grounds a suspension may be proposed.
During the morning meeting, trade officials from both sides agreed that until a cross-strait trade dispute resolution agreement is forged, the two sides would attempt to solve any disputes through negotiation and would not refer controversial cases to the WTO for arbitration.
However, the Taiwanese negotiators, including Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Francis Liang (梁國新), told their Chinese counterparts that Taiwan would seek talks on including stipulations in the cross-strait trade dispute resolution agreement that would entitle the government and Taiwanese individuals to the right to refer disputes to the WTO for arbitration.
Later yesterday at a press conference held by the SEF, Chiang said Taiwan, as a member of the WTO, had the right to negotiate free-trade agreements (FTA) with other nations at any time.
“We also encountered many problems when seeking to join the WTO. We held bilateral talks with about 30 countries. We solved those problems in the end and we will have the wisdom to resolve any difficulties [again],” Chiang said.
However, Chinese negotiators were rather more cautious.
“We understand our Taiwanese compatriots’ wish to participate in international events,” ARATS Vice Chairman Zheng Lizhong (鄭立中) said at a separate press conference.
Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Jiang Zengwei (姜增偉) cut in and said: “We can make reasonable arrangements through cross-strait negotiations under the precondition of the ‘1992 consensus.’”
Zheng called on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to refrain from “manipulating the signing of the ECFA.”
“The ECFA is an economic issue. No individual or group should manipulate it for political gain,” he said.
The copyright protection agreement stated that both sides agreed to establish a mechanism to reinforce anti-piracy laws and deal with cases of copyright violation.
Chiang said both sides also agreed to pursue a cross-strait medical cooperation pact and an agreement to protect cross-strait investment during the sixth round of cross-strait talks to be held in Taiwan before the end of the year.
The specific location of the talks has not yet been decided.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
BAIL APPEALS: The former vice premier was ordered to be held incommunicado despite twice being granted bail and paying a total of NT$12 million in bond The Taoyuan District Court yesterday ordered the detention of former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), who is being investigated for alleged corruption while serving as Taoyuan mayor from December 2014 to December 2022, and that he be held incommunicado. The court made the ruling during a bail hearing after prosecutors appealed its bail ruling twice. Cheng on Saturday was released after posting bail of NT$5 million (US$153,818). However, after prosecutors lodged an appeal, the High Court on Monday revoked the original ruling and ordered the Taoyuan District Court to hold another bail hearing. On Tuesday, the district court granted bail to Cheng a second
The Thai government on Friday announced that Taiwanese would be allowed to stay in the country for up to 60 days per entry, under the Southeast Asian country’s visa-free program starting from today. Taiwan is among 93 countries included in the Thai visa-waiver program, which has been expanded from 57 countries, with the visa-exempt entry extended from 30 to 60 days. After taking office last year, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has vowed to grant more visa waivers to foreign travelers as part of efforts to stimulate tourism. The expanded visa-waiver program was on Friday signed by Thai Minister of the Interior Anutin
PEACE AND SECURITY: China’s military ambitions present ‘the greatest strategic challenge to Japan and the world, Japan’s annual defense white paper said yesterday Japan yesterday warned that China risked escalating tensions with Taiwan with an increase in military exercises that appeared aimed in part at readying Beijing’s forces for a possible invasion. Japan’s annual assessment of security threats, including those posed by China, North Korea and Russia, comes as Taiwan closely monitors Chinese People’s Liberation Army air and sea exercises, including one with the Shandong aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. The drills are the latest in a series including maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait last year that a senior US general said would be key to any invasion. “Because of that increase in military activity,
HAN KUANG: The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers said The armed forces would for the first time test new rules of engagement (ROE) at this month’s annual Han Kuang exercises, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday. The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers told a news conference in Taipei. ROE cards would be issued to select combat troops to test their ability to function without tight control, they said. The most recent edition of the rules was published last year, they said. One of the cards’ two templates identifies enemy targets that soldiers