During a red-carpet ceremony to welcome a team of Taiwanese negotiators yesterday, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) said the to-be-signed cross-strait economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) and a copyright protection deal would enhance the “Chinese people’s global competitiveness.”
“The two deals were proposed to address new situations and problems arising in a globalized and regionally integrated economy,” Chen said during welcoming remarks at a hotel in Chongqing, Sichuan Province, where the fifth round of cross-strait talks is being held.
“The deals are a major strategic move taken by Beijing and Taipei to enhance the global competitiveness of the Chinese people,” he said.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Chen said both sides of the Taiwan Strait would complete the signing and begin a new chapter of cross-strait history through joint efforts made by “compatriots” across the Taiwan Strait.
Chen repeated the term “compatriots” several times as he welcomed Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and the Taiwanese negotiators to the biggest city in southwest China.
Chiang and Chen are scheduled to sign the historic agreement and the copyright protection deal this morning.
Chen said the 12 cross-strait pacts ARATS and SEF had signed over the past two years were meant to serve the interests of “the compatriots across the Taiwan Strait” and that they lived up to the strong desire of “the compatriots” to pursue peace and prosperity.
“[The cross-strait talks] have gained strong support and understanding from people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, which proves that Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have the wisdom to resolve our own problems through negotiation,” Chen said. “The fact that we can reach so many agreements in such a short period of time shows our efforts represent the interests of both sides.”
Meanwhile, Chiang focused on the benefits the ECFA could bring to Taiwan.
“[An ECFA] will allow Taiwanese products to have a fair opportunity to compete with ASEAN products in the Chinese market,” Chiang said.
Barriers to investment and trade on up to 90 percent of the products flowing between China and ASEAN’s six founding members — Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand — fell from Jan. 1. Four more ASEAN countries — Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam — will be added by 2015.
During a briefing to reporters yesterday evening, SEF Vice Chairman Kao Koong-lian (高孔廉) said negotiators from both sides had made a final confirmation of the contents of the ECFA and the copyright protection deal and that the agreements would be signed today as scheduled.
However, Kao said both sides discussed how to strictly regulate labeling the origin of products to prevent some products from being passed off as Taiwanese.
Kao said investment protection could be included in future cross-strait negotiations, but “the issue is no less complicated than the ECFA.”
Asked how both sides would submit the ECFA documents to the WTO after signing them, Kao said cross-strait agreements were all written in Chinese, with each side to take responsibility for their English version. when submitting the documents to the WTO.
In Taipei, the two main opposition parties criticized the ECFA and continued to express concern that the agreement would have a negative impact on Taiwanese jobs, widen income disparity and damage fragile industries.
Democratic Progressive Party spokesperson Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said the negative impact of an ECFA was a long-term issue that would not be easily seen in the first few years.
“As a responsible political party, we tried to reason with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on this policy,” Tsai said. “[But] all Ma talks about is its benefits and never the negative side. [On an ECFA], he’s trying to portray a cactus as a rose.”
Joining in opposition were a number of DPP lawmakers who said that despite pledges by Chinese negotiators that an ECFA would benefit Taiwan, future negotiations set to take place every six months would continue to open up Taiwan’s market to Chinese goods.
DPP Legislator Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠) said that if an ECFA were signed and Chinese goods started to receive barrier-free access into Taiwan, it could cost as many as 150,000 Taiwanese jobs, mainly in the manufacturing sector.
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) yesterday dismissed criticism that an ECFA would only benefit conglomerates, saying the agreement would also benefit small and medium-sized companies and traditional industries.
The “early harvest” lists of goods and services that will enjoy preferential tariff treatment under an ECFA will bring substantial demand for industries such as automobiles and machine tools, Lai said.
She said the machine tool industry would likely see 20 percent growth in orders and a 10 percent increase in employment every year.
“Saying that signing the ECFA will only benefit conglomerates is irrational and untrue,” Lai said at Taoyuan Taiwan International Airport after seeing off Chiang.
According to the finalized “early harvest” lists, a total of 539 Taiwanese products and services will receive tariff cuts or improved market access under the ECFA, more than double the 267 products and services included on China’s list.
Asked about a the ECFA referendum demanded by the opposition parties, Lai said only that the right to a referendum is a public right in a democratic country and that the government would respect any legal referendum result.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA, AP AND AFP
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