President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday attributed the nation’s lagging behind South Korea and Singapore in signing free-trade agreements (FTAs) to obstruction from China, as he was urged to push for trade liberalization.
During a visit with New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) at Singtex Industrial Co in the municipality’s Sinjhuang District (新莊), Singtex president Chin Kuo-chin (陳國欽) called on the Ma administration to speed up negotiations over a trade deal with China under the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) and FTAs with other nations.
“No one wants to sign an agreement with Taiwan,” Ma said in response, adding, however, that many nations are interested in trade with the nation
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
“It is all because of the politics at play,” Ma said. “Therefore, we need to complete the signing of [subsequent agreements under the] ECFA to create room for negotiations with other nations over free-trade deals.”
Taiwan has lagged far behind South Korea and Singapore in this regard, Ma said.
As an export-oriented economy with a small domestic market, Taiwan needs to open itself up, he added.
“We cannot just close the door and feel complacent,” Ma said.
The number of nations that have established an FTA-like trade mechanism with Taiwan was brought to seven last year after trade pacts with New Zealand and Singapore were signed.
Previously, Taiwan held similar agreements with five diplomatic allies in Central America — Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras.
Although Taiwan — a WTO member — is entitled to sign trade agreements with other WTO members, the deals signed with New Zealand and Singapore came only after the ECFA was signed in 2010.
One of the reasons that Beijing did not interfere with the deals is believed to be that Singapore and New Zealand already have trade pacts with China, reports and analysts have said.
Under the ECFA, Taiwan and China in 2011 began reducing or eliminating tariffs on imports itemized in what is known as the “early harvest list,” while they agreed to continue negotiations on investments and trade in goods and services.
The Cross-Strait Bilateral Protection and Promotion Agreement took effect early last year. The cross-strait service trade agreement has been stalled in the legislature pending ratification since it was signed in July last year.
Recently resumed negotiations over an agreement on trade in goods had been hampered by a delay in ratifying the service trade agreement caused by the student-led Sunflower movement in March and April. The movement focused public anger on the government’s handling of what protesters called “backroom” cross-strait negotiations.
Taipei and Beijing have yet to begin talks over a proposed mechanism to settle cross-strait disputes, another ECFA follow-up agreement.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
RSS