The government will not “directly” resume talks with China over a cross-strait trade in goods agreement until a supervisory bill clears the legislative floor, Minister of Economic Affairs Lee Chih-kung (李世光) said on Friday last week.
“We will continue making progress on the cross-strait trade in services and goods pacts when a draft bill of supervisory regulations on cross-strait agreements secures legislative approval,” Lee told a media gathering after he took office on Friday morning.
In other words, the ministry is not restarting formal negotiations over the trade in goods agreement with China for the time being, he said.
From now on, the government will discuss all cross-strait economy-related issues as part of a cross-ministry platform at the Executive Yuan, Lee said.
The ministry has started to analyze the feasibility of easing restrictions on Chinese investment in Taiwan’s industries and regulations on China-bound investment and is to present the results to the platform for deliberation, he said.
He said the government is not “disagreeing” with the idea of opening Taiwan’s markets, but the nation’s industries must become stronger before being exposed to global markets.
If the nation’s industries are not globally competitive, there would be limited products the government can use to negotiate reciprocal terms with other nations, he said.
In an effort to push the government’s “new southbound policy,” Lee said the ministry has reviewed a few local companies’ projects that the new policy could apply to.
Lee said the “new southbound policy” is not simply an economic policy, as the government also has to consider the interests of other nations and overseas Taiwanese businesspeople.
The ministry is to help overseas Taiwanese businesspeople communicate their needs and assist them in operations in accordance with the government’s plans, he said.
Commenting on the government’s energy policy, Lee said that the ministry would play the most important role in developing and promoting “green” energy in the nation, as the government plans to phase out nuclear power and fossil-fuel-based power plants.
Lee said the government would not immediately reduce electricity contribution from fossil-fuel power plants after nuclear power plants are retired in 2025, adding that there is time for the government to develop renewable energy generation.
Solar power would be one of the first renewable energy sources that the government plans to focus on, as many Taiwanese manufacturers already have adequate knowledge and technologies, Lee said.
Given that eight out of the world’s 10 best offshore wind farm locations are on Taiwan’s coast, the government also plans to invest in the development of offshore wind energy, Lee said.
As the government plans to increase the power contribution from renewable energy sources, it would also help to develop the nation’s green energy industry by localizing the supply chains of Taiwan’s industries, Lee said.
The government aims to expand the localization rate of offshore wind farm supply chains to 81 percent by 2020 from this year’s target of 16 percent, he said.
This would create new job opportunities, while also accelerating the development of the green energy industry in Taiwan, he added.
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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