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.”
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS