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.”
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