The cross-strait service trade agreement has been approved by the Cabinet and will soon be sent to the legislature for review, Executive Yuan spokesperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said yesterday.
Under the agreement signed on Friday last week in Shanghai, Taiwan will open 64 sectors in the service industry to Chinese investment, while China will open 80 sectors to Taiwanese businesses.
Lawmakers reached an agreement on Tuesday to review the agreement item-by-item and vote on each of the articles and sector-specific commitments separately, contrary to the hope of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration that the legislature will vote on the agreement as a whole.
Lawmakers also agreed at the Tuesday meeting that the pact cannot take effect without the legislature’s ratification.
At a press conference following the Cabinet meeting yesterday, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said the council would communicate face-to-face with lawmakers, academics and people from all walks of life to address their concerns over possible impacts from the agreement.
The council is willing to hold one-on-one meetings with lawmakers on the Internal Administration Committee and Economic Committee and any other legislators who are interested in the issue, Wang said.
Wang dismissed allegations that holding public meetings after the pact has already been signed is an attempt to “brainwash” the public into thinking positively about the agreement.
“It was an unfair criticism. The executive branch is obliged to explain the government’s policies to people,” Wang said.
There will be a series of meetings with academics and experts on campuses, ordinary people in rural communities and public servants in local governments to discuss concerns they may have about the agreement, Wang said.
Wang declined to comment on Straits Exchange Foundation Vice Chairman and Secretary-General Kao Koong-lian’s (高孔廉) comment on Wednesday that any revision made by lawmakers to the agreement would nullify it.
The council will respect whatever decision the legislature makes, Wang said.
While most people, like Kao, might think that having the legislature alter parts of the agreement or reject some of the items may be tantamount to an abrogation of the agreement, the government will still have to review and interpret the results of the legislative decisions, he said.
Wang declined to elaborate, saying he would rather not speculate on how the legislature would handle the agreement.
In the legislature, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) reiterated that the agreement would be dealt with in accordance with Tuesday’s decision.
Ma yesterday also defended the signing of the agreement, saying it would allow competitive Taiwanese businesses to expand and develop in China.
The pact is an extension of the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), Ma said.
“The service trade agreement covers a wider range of industries and allows very competitive local businesses to invest in mainland China,” he said at a meeting with representatives from the US Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Ma made the comments in response to criticism that the government failed to disclose details of the treaty and to present an impact assessment report on the pact’s potential effect on local businesses before the deal was signed.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it