The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday played down a row between China and Japan over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), insinuating that China would not use economic means to resolve cross-strait disputes if both sides continue to build mutual trust through institutionalized negotiations.
Asked to comment on the crisis and what it implied for Beijing’s approach to Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Liu Te-shun (劉德勳) was evasive about whether the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was worried about the possibility that Beijing would use economic means to settle disputes, as it has been doing with Tokyo.
“What I see now is that both sides have built more trust through institutionalized negotiations,” Liu said. “The more solid we build the foundation, the more cross-strait stability will develop.”
Japan had intended to prosecute the captain of a Chinese fishing boat that collided with two Japanese Coast Guard vessels in disputed waters off the Diaoyutais two weeks ago. Amid mounting pressure from Beijing, Tokyo decided to release the captain, angering many Japanese, who described the decision as foolish and humiliating.
Immediately following the release of the skipper, Beijing demanded an apology and compensation, requests that Tokyo categorically rejected.
Liu said the reason Taipei and Beijing had signed 14 agreements — including the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) in June — over the past two years was to resolve the longstanding problem of a trade imbalance in the Taiwan Strait.
As all the agreements were negotiated through an institutionalized platform, Liu said, they would help normalize cross-strait trade and make business activity across the Strait “more systematic.”
As the agreements include different channels of communication and negotiation, they would be conducive to fixing future problems generated by economic exchanges, he said.
As for economic development, Liu said the entire world was facing the same problem of changing regional structures.
“Every country will find the best way to adjust itself to help its own economic development,” he said.
In related news, Liu said Taipei and Beijing were still negotiating details of the planned cross-strait economic cooperation committee, which is to be formed within six months of the ECFA coming into force on Sept. 12.
The committee will handle negotiations, implementation, application and interpretation of the agreement or disputes resulting from it.
Topping the agenda are planned discussions on agreements on investment protection, trade in commodities, services and a dispute-resolving mechanism, as stipulated in the ECFA.
On Sept. 15, the council authorized the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) to begin negotiations on the formation of the committee and upcoming talks between SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and his Chinese counterpart, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).
Chiang and Chen are expected to sign an investment protection pact and an agreement on medical and healthcare cooperation later this year.
PLA MANEUVERS: Although Beijing has yet to formally announce military drills, its coast guard vessels have been spotted near and around Taiwan since Friday The Taiwanese military is on high alert and is closely monitoring the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) air and naval deployments after Beijing yesterday reserved seven airspace areas east of its Zhejiang and Fujian provinces through Wednesday. Beijing’s action was perceived as a precursor to a potential third “Joint Sword” military exercise, which national security experts said the PLA could launch following President William Lai’s (賴清德) state visits to the nation’s three Pacific allies and stopovers in Hawaii and Guam last week. Unlike the Joint Sword military exercises in May and October, when Beijing provided detailed information about the affected areas, it
CHINA: The activities come amid speculation that Beijing might launch military exercises in response to Lai’s recent visit to Pacific allies The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday said China had nearly doubled the number of its warships operating around the nation in the previous 24 hours, ahead of what security sources expect would be a new round of war games. China’s military activities come amid speculation Beijing might organize military drills around the nation in response to President William Lai’s (賴清德) recent visit to Pacific allies, including stops in Hawaii and Guam, a US territory. Lai returned from the week-long trip on Friday night. Beijing has held two rounds of war games around Taiwan this year, and sends ships and military planes
Five flights have been arranged to help nearly 2,000 Taiwanese tourists return home from Okinawa after being stranded due to cruise ship maintenance issues, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced yesterday. China Airlines Ltd (中華航空), and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) have arranged five flights with a total of 748 additional seats to transport 1,857 passengers from the MSC Bellissima back to Taiwan, the ministry said. The flights have been scheduled for yesterday and today by the Civil Aviation Administration, with the cruise operator covering all associated costs. The MSC Bellissima, carrying 4,341 passengers, departed from Keelung on Wednesday last week for Okinawa,
US president-elect Donald Trump said he would “never say” if Washington is committed to defending Taiwan from China, but “I would prefer that they do not do it [ an attack],” adding that he has a “good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). “I never say because I have to negotiate things, right?” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker after saying he would not reveal his incoming administration’s stance on Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. Asked the question again, Trump, in a reference to China, said: “I would prefer that they
RSS