President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday emphasized the necessity of signing an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with Beijing, saying Taiwan cannot afford to fall behind in economic integration in the region.
“As regional integration among ASEAN countries gathers momentum, Taiwan cannot allow itself to fall behind and we are confident that we can strengthen our effort to keep abreast with international trends,” Ma said, speaking in English in a speech at the opening of an international conference on economic cooperation and strategy between Taiwan and ASEAN in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.
The government has signed nine agreements with Beijing since he took office and is stepping up efforts to ink an ECFA, he said, adding that the planned pact is “leading to more functional cooperation across the Taiwan Strait.”
Emphasizing that ASEAN has become more influential in East Asia politically, economically and strategically, Ma said Taiwan supports regional free-trade agreements (FTA) initiated by other APEC members.
While the region saw only three FTAs signed in 2000, the number jumped to 56 as of August this year, he said.
“There are very few countries in the region that have not been connected by FTA,” Ma said in English. “Notably among those which are not connected, one is North Korea and the other is Taiwan. So we think, we think we should work harder to become part of the economic integration process.”
Using a talk he gave in October 2003 in Singapore at a World Economic Forum event, he said “Why not 10 plus four,” referring to 10 ASEAN countries plus China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
“Taiwan is very eager to become part of the economic integration process, so that we won’t be further isolated or marginalized,” he said. “So I hope our effort to increase research and communication with ASEAN countries will also pave the way for a new era where Taiwan can more freely pursue the idea to have more, greater participation in the regional economic integration process.”
It is evident that the framework required for the formation of a regional economic bloc is already in place, he said, adding that how this will develop in the future is not clear, although discussions on this issue are well under way.
Meanwhile, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) yesterday dismissed an accusation by the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) that SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) was likely to benefit from an agreement Taiwan and China intend to sign next week through a company for which he is honorary chairman.
SEF spokesman Maa Shaw-chang (馬紹章) said the agreement on cooperation in standard inspection and certification aimed to protect consumers, not benefit the company Sinocon Industrial Standards Foundation.
The firm’s business does not overlap with items covered by the agreement, he said, adding that Chiang was not involved in the negotiations and did not participate in the company’s activities or affairs.
In related news, a former China-based Taiwanese businessman petitioned the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday to protect the interests of small and medium-size Taiwanese merchants, rather than those of big businesses.
William Kao (高為邦), president of the Victims of Investment in China Association, urged the council to place the issue on the agenda of cross-strait negotiations and criticized those negotiations as a platform for the “rich and powerful” among the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party.
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
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