The EU would not rule out the possibility of signing a bilateral investment agreement (BIA) with Taiwan, even though it observes a “one China” policy, a European Commission official said on Tuesday.
The EU in 2015 included Taiwan in its list of trade partners for BIAs, but has not held negotiations on the issue since then, except to state in a trade policy report in September 2017 that it was preparing to hold investment talks with Taipei.
HEARING
At a public hearing on EU-Taiwan trade relations held by the European Parliament Committee on International Trade, Peter Berz, head of relations with the Far East in the European Commission Directorate-General for Trade, was asked by a lawmaker if the reluctance to negotiate an agreement was the result of pressure from China.
Although the EU adheres to a “one China” policy, it would not rule out the possibility of forging such an accord with Taiwan, Berz said, adding that any such talks would require approval from the commission.
A joint panel set up by the two sides to address the issue has convened five times to date, which has helped the EU and Taiwan acquire deeper knowledge of each other’s investment policies, Berz said.
The public hearing was also attended by Bureau of Foreign Trade Director-General Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮) and European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan chief executive Freddie Hoglund.
The EU is Taiwan’s largest source of foreign capital and its fifth-largest trade partner, while Taiwan is the EU’s sixth-largest trade partner in Asia, Ministry of Economic Affairs data showed.
FRIENDSHIP
In a news release yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it welcomed the hearing — the first ever held at the EU on the issue.
“Since 2015 ... the European Parliament has passed three resolutions supporting the signing of a Taiwan-EU bilateral investment agreement. This public hearing once again underscores its friendship and support to Taiwan,” it said, urging the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, to take concrete action to push for the inking of a BIA.
Additional reporting by Stacy Hsu
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese