An EU commissioner said on Monday that the timing was not right for the EU to start negotiations with Taiwan on a free-trade agreement (FTA) amid concerns over the repercussions of such talks on cross-strait relations and the EU’s relations with China.
“We must remember the very unique situation of Taiwan and particularly its relationship with China,” said Dacian Ciolos, the EU commissioner responsible for agriculture and rural development.
“At this stage, it’s not appropriate to start a negotiation process for a free-trade agreement with Taiwan,” Ciolos said when concluding a statement provided by the EU Trade Commission at a debate in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Monday.
Ciolos attended the debate titled “Improving EU-Taiwan trade relations” — the first of its kind in several years — on behalf of EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht, who was unable to attend.
Within the EU’s “one China” policy, trade enhancement measures between the EU and Taiwan would be a framework agreement to be “fleshed out in certain areas,” as opposed to an agreement on free trade, Ciolos said.
The reason why the EU held the position, Ciolos said, was that “we must avoid a full stop, which could endanger the relationship between Taiwan and China, which can also call into question our own relationships with Taiwan and China.”
Last year, the EU Commission presented a blueprint for its trade and investment for 2010 to 2015 in a communication to the European Council and parliament titled Trade, Growth, and World Affairs, which said the EU had to strengthen its relationships with strategic partners, such as the US, Russia and Japan, and to recognize the importance of emerging economies, particularly in Asia, without mentioning Taiwan.
“Taiwan has not been mentioned as a priority, but this communication has already given us a very useful framework for this relationship,” Ciolos said.
Ciolos said the existing trade consultation, held annually between the European Commission and Taiwan, enabled the EU to further develop its relationship with Taiwan — as long as the relationship between Taiwan and China goes well.
“It’s a tiny bit early to know precisely which opportunities this [Economic Cooperation] Framework Agreement [ECFA] will create for European industry, but we must make sure that if we strengthen our trade relations with Taiwan and if Taiwan strengthens its relations with China, this is going to give more opportunities for our businesses,” he said.
Several members of parliament said they were disappointed by the commission’s position, while others argued that the EU should not neglect Taiwan for fear of “angering” China.
Charles Tannock, chairman of the European Parliament-Taiwan Friendship Group, said he strongly believed the EU should pursue a free-trade type agreement with Taiwan, which should probably be known as a “trade enhancement measure.”
“Such an agreement is in the long-term interests of both sides, and the cake grows bigger for both as synergies and opportunities for joint ventures and free flow of investments can carry on in both directions,” Tannock said.
The EU should respond positively and judge Taiwan solely on its economic merits, without taking into consideration what is going on in ASEAN countries or any possible political objections from Beijing as and when Taiwan is ready to negotiate, he said.
Tannock said the EU should “help to ensure Taiwan’s long-term economic prosperity by helping Taiwan to diversify its global economic perspectives” because “Taiwan does not want to become over-dependent on one economic partner [China].”
Sean Kelly, a member of the European People’s Party, said he was disappointed at the tone of Ciolos’ response to “this very important topic.”
“I think the message has to go out loud and clear that we want a little more action, a little more pluck, from the commission than what we have seen and certainly from what we have heard this evening. I get the impression that there is reluctance, that China might not be happy with us if we are engaging too much with Taiwan,” Kelly said.
“We can have a good relationship with China, we want to have a good relationship with China, but that must not in any way impede us from having a good relationship with Taiwan and developing trade links with Taiwan. We have much to gain,” Kelly said.
Niccolo Rinaldi, a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, said he felt “there is some degree of hypocrisy and some degree of prevarication in what Ciolos said ... There is a principle we should always stand by, particularly in trade.”
“We have trade relations with Taiwan and Taiwan will be negotiating FTAs with many countries in the future. China is very irritated by our approach to Taiwan, but it may learn to be pragmatic,” Rinaldi said.
Laima Liucija Andrikiene of the European People’s Party said closer economic ties with Taiwan “do not contradict the EU’s ‘one China’ policy.”
“You may know that Taiwan has the status of an independent customs territory. It has been a full member of the WTO since 2002, as well as a full member of APEC and the Asian Development Bank,” Andrikiene said.
A decision to describe a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Singapore’s Taiwan policy as “erroneous” was made because the city-state has its own “one China policy” and has not followed Beijing’s “one China principle,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said yesterday. It has been a longstanding practice for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to speak on other countries’ behalf concerning Taiwan, Tien said. The latest example was a statement issued by the PRC after a meeting between Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) yesterday apologized after the suicide of a civil servant earlier this month and announced that a supervisor accused of workplace bullying would be demoted. On Nov. 4, a 39-year-old information analyst at the Workforce Development Agency’s (WDA) northern branch, which covers greater Taipei and Keelung, as well as Yilan, Lienchiang and Kinmen counties, was found dead in their office. WDA northern branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容), who has been accused of involvement in workplace bullying, would be demoted to a nonsupervisory position, Ho told a news conference in Taipei. WDA Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) said he would
RSS