The nation’s top China affairs official said yesterday that signing an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China was not tantamount to accepting China’s “one country, two systems” plan for Taiwan.
As an ECFA is purely an economic agreement unrelated to the issue of sovereignty and a referendum was therefore unnecessary, Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) said as she debated signing an ECFA with China at the Taiwan Citizen Conference on National Affairs.
Lai said an ECFA aimed to establish a fair trade agreement with Beijing and remove certain restrictions that Beijing has in place on Taiwanese goods. She said the agreement was not a free trade agreement (FTA), which in some countries requires a referendum for approval.
“We are clear about China’s intentions on unification, but the government will insist on the Republic of China’s [ROC] freedom, democracy and sovereignty,” Lai said.
Unconvinced by Lai’s remarks, Chinese political analyst Ruan Ming (阮銘) told the forum that signing an ECFA with China would be tantamount to a “trick.”
NEW IDENTITY
Ruan also warned that pro-China supporters in the nation were seeking to create a new identity for Taiwanese, which aimed to make Taiwanese accept the idea that there is “one China” in the world and that Taiwan belongs to China.
“The Ma [Ying-jeou (馬英九)] administration’s China policy lacks offensive and defensive strategies, it just panders to China’s strategy,” he said.
DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) also disagreed with Lai’s remarks that the proposed ECFA had nothing to do with the nation’s sovereignty.
“Signing an ECFA with China has everything to do with sovereignty and also issues that pertain to Taiwan’s interests. Lai has failed to give a clear explanation,” Tsai said. “The government is still dodging questions and many key questions remain unanswered.”
Soochow University political science professor Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) questioned the government’s rush to sign an ECFA with Beijing.
“Has the government prepared alternative measures should the negotiations with Beijing fail?” he asked.
JOB LOSSES
Minister of Economic Affairs Yiin Chii-ming (尹啟銘) addressed concerns that the proposed ECFA would lead to job losses in Taiwan’s agricultural sector and various traditional industries.
Yiin said the ministry was aware of the concerns and the government has a “safeguard mechanism” to protect certain local industries, such as leather, towel and footwear manufacturers. In the initial period, Chinese goods from those sectors would not be allowed into Taiwan and anti-dumping measures would also be instituted.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER AND CNA
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) today accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to lead a delegation to China next month, saying she hopes to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and bring stability to the Taiwan Strait. “I am grateful and happy to accept this invitation,” Cheng said in a statement from the KMT chairperson’s office. Cheng said she hopes both sides can work together to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, enhance exchange and cooperation, bring stability to the Taiwan Strait and improve people’s livelihoods. At today's news conference, Cheng said any efforts to
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
The nation’s fastest supercomputer, Nano 4 (晶創26), is scheduled to be launched in the third quarter, and would be used to train large language models in finance and national defense sectors, the National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC) said. The supercomputer, which would operate at about 86.05 petaflops, is being tested at a new cloud computing center in the Southern Taiwan Science Park in Tainan. The exterior of the server cabinet features chip circuitry patterns overlaid with a map of Taiwan, highlighting the nation’s central position in the semiconductor industry. The center also houses Taiwania 2, Taiwania 3, Forerunner 1 and
RSS