In a major concession designed to protect Taiwanese farmers, agricultural products from China will not be included in a planned cross-strait economic cooperation framework agreement’s (ECFA) “early harvest list,” a Council of Agriculture official (COA) said.
Hsiao Tung-chung (蕭柊瓊), deputy director-general of the COA’s International Cooperation Division, said that during the second round of ECFA negotiations, which concluded on April 1, the Chinese side agreed not to demand further opening of the Taiwanese market for Chinese agricultural produce or to include such products on the “early harvest” list — goods and services that will enjoy lower or no tariffs if an ECFA is signed.
Taiwan maintains a ban on the importation of more than 800 agricultural products from China that were in effect when President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took office on May 20, 2008, and will not reduce tariffs on the 1,415 agricultural items already allowed, Hsiao said.
She was responding to remarks by former national policy adviser Ellen Huang (黃越綏) that Taiwan’s agriculture and fishery sectors could be seriously undermined if an ECFA were signed.
Hsiao said that at the first round of ECFA talks held in Beijing on Jan. 26, Taiwan refused to discuss further opening to Chinese agricultural products.
Costs are the main reason behind the government’s decision to allow imports of some types of agricultural products, she said.
For example, Taiwan began allowing the importation of watermelon seeds from China in 1989 because local farmers didn’t show interest in the product due to high production costs, Hsiao said.
Statistics from 2007 show that 7.97 hectares were devoted to watermelons, a figure that fell to 1.06 hectares in 2008.
There was almost no production last year, she said.
However, Taiwan has maintained bans the import of Chinese watermelons.
The opening to imports of Chinese Pu-erh tea leaves and garlic was also based on the fact that they are not produced locally, or as a result of high transport costs of imports from other countries, Hsiao said.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS