The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party yesterday agreed to facilitate the implementation of the cross-strait service trade agreement as a top priority as they concluded a two-day economic forum in Nanning, China.
The agreement, signed in June during the ninth round of cross-strait talks, is yet to be approved by the Legislative Yuan amid concerns about its potentially negative impact on local service industries.
In announcing the suggestions of the two parties at the closing ceremony of the annual Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Culture Forum, KMT Vice Chairman John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) said that both sides of the Taiwan Strait will further promote cross-strait trade while continuing to push for the implementation of the service trade agreement.
Other priorities include follow-up negotiations on the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), negotiations on dispute settlements, the establishment of a transparent and convenient trade investment environment, and systemization of cross-strait relations.
Former KMT chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) yesterday said the two sides will also push ahead with setting up representative offices on each side of the Taiwan Strait, responding to the growing exchanges between China and Taiwan, and said top officials that handled cross-strait relations should visit each other soon.
“It’s not right that officials that handle the cross-strait affairs have not been to the other side of the Taiwan Strait... We should seek breakthroughs and make such meetings happen,” he said at the forum’s closing ceremony.
He described Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi’s (王郁琦) meeting with China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Director Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) at the APEC summit earlier this month in Indonesia as “a good beginning,” calling on Zhang and Yu Zhengsheng (俞正聲), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Committee, to visit Taiwan soon.
“I think there are plenty of appropriate opportunities for such visits. For instance, when the cross-strait representative offices are set up, [Wang and Zhang] can attend the opening ceremonies on either side of the Taiwan Strait. It would be very meaningful,” he said.
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
RSS