The planned cross-strait trade pact the government hopes to sign with China should be seen as a “quasi-international agreement” between two countries, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus secretary-general Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池) said yesterday, therefore the legislature can only vote to accept or reject the whole agreement instead of reviewing it article by article.
The legislature does not have the power to revise the content of the proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) unless it votes down the agreement, Lin said.
His remarks contradicted those of Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) on Saturday, when Wang said the legislature had the authority to decide how it wishes to review the ECFA and could amend its content.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday slammed the KMT caucus’ plan, saying the caucus was undermining Taiwan’s democracy by planning to carry out a pseudo-review.
DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) called for a substantial review of the ECFA’s content.
DPP Legislator Twu Shiing-jer (?? accused the KMT caucus of using the legislature to rubber-stamp the ECFA.
However, the KMT caucus’ proposal is only one option, Wang said yesterday, adding that legislators still needed to negotiate the review process.
The Act Governing Legislators’ Exercise of Power (立法院職權行使法) stipulates that proposed legislation and budget requests must pass a third reading of the legislature, while other proposals only have to pass a second reading.
The act states that during a second reading, a proposal should be read and reviewed article by article.
Legislators can also deliberate over the opinions of the committee responsible for reviewing a proposal during the second reading, the act states.
The KMT caucus said on Tuesday that it would call a provisional legislative session in the middle of next month to review the ECFA, since the government plans to sign the agreement by early next month.
The legislature may also hold another session in August to complete the review in case the DPP caucus proposes to refer the agreement for cross-party negotiation, the KMT caucus said.
In accordance with legislative procedures, any bill or proposal referred for cross-party negotiation can be put on hold for up to one month.
At a separate setting yesterday, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) reiterated that Taiwan would benefit from the proposed accord.
“The mainland also believes it will be conducive to cross-strait relations, and the US fundamentally supports it as long as it can reduce cross-strait tension and enhance interactions, because it conforms to US interests,” he said.
“I don’t know exactly what it is about ECFA the opposition are against,” Ma said. “Do they oppose the signing of the trade pact, or do they think China is yielding too many benefits to us? I am not sure.”
“I promise during the process we will not undermine the sovereignty of the Republic of China or Taiwan’s integrity,” the president said. “We will uphold equality, dignity, reciprocity and mutual benefit so Taiwan will have a better chance and conditions for development.”
Meanwhile, Vice Economics Minister Francis Liang (梁國新) said yesterday that an ECFA would, if signed, enable Taiwan to “resume its status as a regional hub.”
He did not elaborate, however, on exactly when the nation served as a regional hub.
Speaking at a meeting of the Importers and Exporters Association of Taipei, Liang said Taiwan and China were close to signing the pact the government hopes will open a new era — one in which many products will enjoy preferential tariffs or greater market access.
“Many businesses, whether they are Taiwanese operating in China, American, European or Japanese, share the feeling that Taiwan will soon play a more major role on the world stage and will turn into a regional hub after the ECFA signing,” Liang said
Critics of the proposed pact, however, have complained that based on the WTO’s rules, 10 years after signing an ECFA, Taiwan would be forced to expand free trade with China to cover between 90 percent and 95 percent of trade in goods and services.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY YAN JUO-CHING, CNA AND STAFF WRITER
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
RSS