A stalled Taiwan-China investment protection pact will be on the agenda of a second meeting under the Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Committee, slated for Tuesday in Hangzhou, China, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Francis Liang (梁國新) said on Saturday.
Negotiations on the agreement have entered their final stage and economics officials from the two sides would use the upcoming meeting to try to sort out their remaining differences, Liang said.
The commission is comprised of officials from Taiwan and China and meets once every six months. It is responsible for negotiations and consultations under the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) signed in June last year. Its first meeting was held on Feb. 22 in Taiwan.
There are six groups under the commission, covering trade in goods, trade in services, investment, dispute settlement, industrial cooperation and customs cooperation.
The next meeting will be headed by Liang and Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Jiang Yaoping (蔣耀平).
In addition to the investment protection pact, another highlight of the meeting will be finalizing details on the establishment of representative offices by non-profit industry organizations, officials said.
Such organizations would be required to pass a review by the relevant authorities before an office could be established and the authorities would also limit the number of groups permitted.
The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association are expected to be the first to set up offices in China.
The China Council for Promotion of International Trade, TAITRA’s Chinese counterpart, and the Association of Economy and Trade Across the Taiwan Straits, are likely to be the first Chinese groups to open offices in Taiwan.
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