The Straits Exchange Foundation and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait should launch talks over an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) as soon as possible to create a “cross-strait win-win” situation, a statement released by the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER) said yesterday.
CIER and China’s Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation worked together last November to study the effects of the planned trade agreement on the two economies.
CIER said its study showed that although the economic pact may have both positive and negative impacts on different industries, overall, it would boost Taiwan’s GDP and lift the macroeconomy.
The Chinese academy’s research also arrived at the same findings, that “the development of Chinese industries may benefit or be adversely impacted by the agreement depending on their competitiveness,” the CIER statement said.
Since businesses on both sides of the Strait may have to undergo internal adjustments in the face of increased competition from imports in the process of market liberalization, CIER said the government should adopt a gradual or flexible method in deregulating the market.
Aside from the ECFA, the Taiwanese and Chinese research institutions recommended that the two sides establish timely trade regulations on the origin of products, the definition of service suppliers, trade remedy terms and a dispute settlement mechanism, the statement said.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
South Korea is planning to revise its controversial electronic arrival card, a step Taiwanese officials said prompted them to hold off on planned retaliatory measures, a South Korean media report said yesterday. A Yonhap News Agency report said that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to remove the “previous departure place” and “next destination” fields from its e-arrival card system. The plan, reached after interagency consultations, is under review and aims to simplify entry procedures and align the electronic form with the paper version, a South Korean ministry official said. The fields — which appeared only on the electronic form
RSS