Taiwan’s service sector industries are expected to operate in China after a proposed trade pact is signed, an official familiar with the negotiations said yesterday.
Taiwanese and Chinese negotiators reached an agreement during the third round of talks on a proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) to include the industries on Taiwan’s “early harvest” list to be granted market access by China, the official said. The third round of talks concluded on Sunday.
The industries include the conference sector, computer services, medical services, architecture and fashion design services, and the civil aviation equipment maintenance and repair industry.
China agreed to allow Taiwan’s air cargo firms to set up solely owned companies in China, exempting them from China’s regulations that foreign investment cannot exceed 50 percent of an enterprise’s total investment, the official said.
China’s opening up to Taiwan’s civil aviation sector will allow air cargo companies to capitalize on business opportunities related to direct cross-strait flights, he said.
With Taiwan’s higher standard of medical care, China also promised to let Taiwan medical institutions set up hospitals in areas with high concentrations of Taiwanese businesses, such as Guangdong Province, to allow them to expand operations in China and to care for China-based Taiwanese businesspeople seeking medical attention.
China, however, did not agree with a proposal to increase the number of Taiwanese films released in China. China only approves 10 Taiwanese films each year for cinematic viewing, the official said.
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday reiterated the government’s goal to sign the cross-strait pact this month or early next month.
MAC Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) said it remains uncertain how many items will be covered by the agreement’s “early harvest” program as discussions are still going ongoing.
Details will be made public as soon as they are finalized, she said.
In the third formal round of ECFA talks that ended in Beijing on Sunday, China agreed to Taiwan’s list of 500 items that will be entitled to preferential tariff treatment as soon as the ECFA is signed, in comparison to the 200-odd Chinese items accepted by Taiwan.
Chinese Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said on Thursday that the number of products on Taiwan’s list will be increased to around 510, while the number on China’s will be boosted to 260 or 270.
MAC officials said the two sides are currently reviewing the conclusions reached during the third round of ECFA talks and it remains unclear if they will need to hold a fourth round before signing the agreement.
‘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 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS