China is willing to start negotiations with Taiwan as soon as possible on the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) proposed by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), a senior Chinese official said yesterday.
Taiwan Affairs Office Director Wang Yi (王毅) told the Strait Forum being held in Xiamen that China would cooperate with Taiwan by preparing for the negotiation process.
The Ma administration’s plan to sign an ECFA with Beijing has been fiercely debated, with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and some political observers saying it would make Taiwan too economically dependent on China. The proposed pact was criticized during yesterday’s protest in Taipei.
Wang also announced an increase in the number of Chinese allowed to visit Taiwan, saying the government would try to have “more than 600,000 visits this year.”
He also said more Taiwanese agricultural products would be purchased, with delegations making two trips to purchase fruit, vegetables and other agricultural products, one in the first half of the year, and one in the second half. He also said that China would initiate investments by Chinese companies in Taiwan.
On Saturday Wang announced that five more Chinese ports had been opened to direct shipping to Taiwan, bringing the total number of ports to 68.
He also announced more measures to boost cross-strait shipping, including granting tax exemptions, allowing the establishment of representative offices and moving to increase maritime safety.
“The people are the foundation and the driving force, the future is in their hands and the results will be shared by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait,” Wang said yesterday.
Meanwhile, People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Jia Qinglin (賈慶林) said yesterday that the Strait Forum would be an important platform for interactions between the people on each side of the Taiwan Strait and that China wanted to use it to expand exchanges.
Jia also extended an official welcome to DPP members to “expand exchanges and travel more frequently to China.”
Cross-strait relations have improved to unprecedented levels, and that the two sides should take this hard-earned development opportunity to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, Jia said, adding that this was the wish of both sides.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
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