The government will not rush to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China, although it is still aiming to conclude the pact by the end of next month, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Sheng-chung (林聖忠) said yesterday.
“If the negotiations fail to produce even a barely acceptable outcome, we would rather delay the signing,” Lin said during a joint committee meeting in the Legislative Yuan yesterday morning.
He said that the third round of ECFA talks was likely to be put off until next month, which means the schedule might be too tight to seal the deal by the end of the month.
Lin confirmed that fewer than expected petrochemical, textile and machinery items would be included in the proposed ECFA’s “early harvest” list, saying this was how negotiations work.
However, there will be some progress soon in patent and trademark negotiations between the two sides, he said.
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday declined to answer questions about the ultimate goal of an ECFA with China, only saying that it was a “platform” for tackling cross-strait economic issues.
Asked whether the proposed accord would lead to a free-trade area or customs union, MAC Deputy Minister Liu Te-shun (劉德勳) said an ECFA was an economic agreement incorporating the unique features of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
It is a mechanism for handling economic issues, including lowering tariffs for traded goods and services, he told a media briefing.
Liu said it does not revolve around the concept of an “area,” adding that “it is merely a mechanism.”
Liu said the planned pact would be reviewed by the legislature if it concerns any revision to current laws, or directly ratified by the legislative body.
Article 5 of 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) states that all treaties that require legal revision or legislation must be reviewed by the legislature, or they must be ratified if they do not require revision or legislation.
Liu urged the public to trust the legislature, saying legislative oversight was sufficient to keep the government in check.
With legislative oversight in place, Liu said it was unnecessary to hold a referendum on whether to sign the trade deal, although the government respects the public’s right to hold one if it so desires.
“We are not against a referendum,” he said. “We just don’t endorse it.”
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
RSS