The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Taipei yesterday called on the government to adopt a more effective approach to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by forming a task force to accelerate progress.
The group’s call came after the nation’s efforts to become a candidate for second-round entry have remained in limbo over the past year.
As the 12-member trade bloc is likely to be formed next year, Taiwan needs to take decisive action to establish its credibility for trade liberalization, AmCham said.
Photo: CNA
“We are really worried that Taiwan will be marginalized [economically] as the world is moving forwards,” AmCham chairman Thomas Fann (范炘) told a press conference as the group issued its annual White Paper, adding that the China-South Korea free-trade agreement took effect this week, while the US is in talks with the EU over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
“Participating in a big trade organization will be a good way [to avoid such a risk],” Fann said.
The TPP represents a huge market, as the 12 economies involved produce more than 40 percent of global GDP, he said.
Joining the trade bloc would also help Taiwan reduce its reliance on China and rebalance its trade long term, he added.
In the White Paper, AmCham suggested that the Executive Yuan could create a TPP task force to ensure that the individual ministries and agencies carry out the necessary reforms.
The task force should oversee communications with the public and the legislature to build a sense of national mission behind TPP accession, it said.
Fann said the government should tap a high-ranking government official to lead the task force.
A political heavyweight with national recognition, such as former vice president Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), would be an ideal candidate, he said.
AmCham also warned that no invitations would be issued to join the TPP as some government agencies and private think tanks seem to imagine.
“Would-be candidates must apply,” the business group said in the White Paper.
Of the 12 members of the TPP, Taiwan has signed free-trade agreements with just New Zealand and Singapore, Fann said.
Taiwan needs to accelerate its efforts to become qualified by holding talks with those countries to solve existing, or potential, trade disputes, he said.
“Joining the TPP would make Taiwan a springboard for foreign companies to enter the trade bloc,” Fann said.
In response, the National Development Council said that as the government already has an international trade and economic task force, it would not consider forming another one.
The task force is convened by Vice Premier Simon Chang (張善政) every two to three months.
It requires ministries to report the latest progress on efforts to join the TPP, the council said.
The council said the government would continue deepening structural reforms and improve the business-related legal system in a bid to create a better environment for joining regional economic pacts.
“We hope the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei continues to voice its support for Taiwan participating in the TPP second-round negotiations,” the council said.
Additional reporting by Lauly Li
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work
RSS