China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) yesterday called for Taiwan to make more of an effort in cross-strait negotiations if it wants the trade pacts being discussed to overtake the implementation of a free-trade agreement (FTA) between China and South Korea, expected as early as the middle of next year.
After Zhang met with Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) in Beijing, the Central News Agency quoted him as saying in front of reporters that China does not want to see the pact with South Korea come into effect before cross-strait agreements.
Wang, who is part of the delegation that former vice president Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) led to the APEC summit, held a meeting with Zhang over lunch and tea yesterday.
Photo: CNA
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday jointly announced on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Beijing that they have effectively reached a “substantial conclusion” on the free-trade pact, which has been in the works for two-and-a-half years.
Taiwan and China began negotiating the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) before Seoul started discussing its pact with Beijing, but it seems as if “we have gotten up early, but arrived at the market late,” Zhang said.
However, Zhang said “there is still time,” urging Taiwan to be “in hot pursuit” of economic cooperation “along the same direction” as China to bring the talks to fruition.
Photo: CNA
Cross-strait negotiations over a trade in goods pact, one of the follow-up agreements under the ECFA, have been stalled since the yet-to-be-ratified service trade agreement signed in June last year met strong public opposition.
Later yesterday, the Mainland Affairs Council and Taiwan Affairs Office separately issued statements on the six-point consensus reached by Wang and Zhang.
The ministers restated an adherence to the so-called “1992 consensus” and expressed their wish to continue talks on issues including the trade in goods deal, other ECFA follow-ups and the establishment of reciprocal offices.
They agreed that Taipei and Beijing will begin talks on allowing Chinese citizens to stop in Taiwan while in transit to a third destination, as well as start exploring ways to jointly develop their economies and engage in regional economic integration, the statements showed.
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