From Jan. 1 to Feb. 10, Taiwanese firms filed about 2,000 applications to obtain product origin certificates, for goods valued at more than US$400 million, Straits Exchange Foundation Vice Chairman Kao Koong-lian (高孔廉) said yesterday.
The companies come from all over Taiwan and a wide range of business sectors, including -petrochemicals, agriculture, textiles, tools and machinery, said Kao, convener of the first Economic Cooperation Committee (ECC) meeting.
Companies have to apply for the certificates to prove that their goods originate in Taiwan before being granted reduced tariffs under the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA).
Goods in the early harvest list are to be the first to enjoy reduced tariffs after the ECFA took effect last September.
Kao said the ECC will serves as a common platform for both countries to exchange views and reach consensus on ECFA-related issues.
“All of this will be done within, and not beyond the scope of ECFA,” Kao said, adding that if agreements arising from the ECC require the signing of official pacts, those would be subject to legislative review before coming into force.
Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Vice Chairman Zheng Lizhong (鄭立中) said that the ECC would be based on the principle of parity, win-win and progressive manners.
“Future pacts will be signed one by one as soon as consensus is achieved on each individual issue,” Zheng added.
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