Impatience has put President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration in an unfavorable position when it comes to negotiating an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with Beijing, a former top negotiator said yesterday.
Chang Jung-feng (張榮豐), who served as National Security Council deputy secretary-general during Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) presidency, said that it was important to strengthen the “best alternative to a negotiated agreement” before negotiating with Beijing.
Taking the example of both sides’ bids to join the WTO, Chang said Taipei had Washington’s backing that if Beijing obstructed Taiwan’s bid, Washington would strike down Beijing’s attempt to join the organization.
To be impatient only puts Taiwan in an adverse position when negotiating with Beijing, Chang said, adding that it was “stupid” for the administration to show its eagerness to sign the proposed pact by revealing its deadline.
“The administration must realize that negotiating is always a means and not the objective,” he said. “Unfortunately, it considers negotiation as the goal. It seems it does not care about the content of the agreement, as long as there is one.”
The Ma administration has expressed the hope that it can sign the planned pact by next year.
Likening signing of an ECFA to buying a house, Chang said the buyer would put himself in a bad position if he or she sent out invitations to a house warming party before the house had been purchased because the buyer would then have to pay whatever price has been offered to obtain the property.
Chang said the administration should also have taken advantage of legislative supervision.
Emphasizing the importance of procedural negotiations leading to actual talks, Chang said the negotiations were the decisive battle because that was when the agenda was set, compromises were made and bottom lines were revealed.
Before both sides began negotiating, Chang said the administration must have thorough information and analysis of Beijing’s negotiation team, strategy and options.
Both the administration and Beijing have expressed the hope that they can sign a peace agreement, but Chang said since both sides were no longer in military conflict, the peace agreement Beijing wanted was political in nature and it could easily be used to persuade Washington to stop selling weapons to Taiwan.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS