Although Taiwan’s top negotiator is scheduled to leave for China today to sign the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China, Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kun (江丙坤) yesterday confirmed that negotiations on three additional economic deals may not begin as planned if the legislature fails to approve the ECFA in the extra legislative session scheduled to be held next month or in August.
During a press conference, Chiang said both sides of the Taiwan Strait agreed to start negotiations on three subsequent deals on trade in goods, trade in services and protection of investment six months after the ECFA takes effect.
However, the talks would not be possible if the legislature rejects the ECFA in the extra legislative session, Chiang said.
Chiang is due to sign the ECFA with Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) during the fifth round of cross-strait talks to be held tomorrow and Wednesday in Chongqing.
Although the SEF and the ARATS have completed preparatory talks for the agreement and finalized their “early harvest” lists last week, it is unclear whether the agreement will come into force immediately after it is signed.
Legislators have disagreed on how the ECFA should be reviewed, with the Democratic Progressive Party insisting on reviewing the pact article by article and declining to dismiss the possibility of proposing revisions to the content of the deal.
Asked whether Taiwan would be able to sign free trade agreements with other countries after an ECFA is signed, as President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said was likely, Chiang said “obstacles are expected to be reduced to a significant degree after the signing.”
Chiang shrugged off the possibility of Taipei and Beijing moving on to political talks soon after the ECFA is signed, saying that “many economic issues have yet to be negotiated.”
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