The long-awaited feasibility study on forging a Japan-Taiwan free-trade agreement (FTA) is scheduled to be released in Tokyo on Dec. 10, Taiwan's top representative to Japan said yesterday.
The study was launched a year ago by the respective communities of the East Asia Businessmen's Conference (
The study will be released during the 30th East Asia Businessmen's Conference slated to be held in Tokyo on Dec. 9 and Dec. 10, sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
"After the private sector releases its study on Dec. 10, we'll begin the next stage, namely the political process," said Lo Fu-chen (羅福全), representative of the Taipei Econ-omic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan.
"But the timetable is a difficult problem," Lo added.
Despite the willingness expressed by both sides to forge an FTA, there is no easy way for Taipei to move the issue higher on Tokyo's agenda given pressure from Beijing, Lo said.
Lo also cited remarks by Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan (
"Tang has shown concern over the possibility of such a pact," Lo said.
"The Japanese foreign minister assured him that Japan would never forge any state-to-state international treaty with Taiwan, despite the substantive ties between Taipei and Tokyo and the FTA feasibility study by the private sector," Lo added.
Lo said Taiwan may seek an FTA with Japan under the name of "Taipei, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu special customs territory," by which the nation entered the WTO.
Such a flexible arrangement, Lo said, could bypass Japan's vow of not forging any state-to-state treaty with Taiwan.
The conference in Tokyo will be led by Jeffery Koo (
Akio has also served as one of the vice chairmen of Japan's powerful Federation of Economic Organizations.
Lo made the remarks on the sidelines of the 27th Taiwan-Japan economic and trade conference that began in Taipei yesterday morning.
The two-day meeting has drawn more than 110 officials from both sides to conduct intensive talks on bilateral cooperation under the WTO and APEC.
An FTA, however, was not listed on the agenda of the meeting in Taipei.
However, Hsu Shui-teh (許水德), a former envoy to Japan now serving as chairman of the Association of East Asian Relations (AEAR), touched on the issue during his opening remarks yesterday.
Hsu said it would benefit both Taiwan and Japan to seal a free-trade pact.
Hsu also highlighted the recent removal of restrictions prohibiting section-chief-level Japanese civil servants with the foreign ministry from visiting Taiwan, saying such a policy change together with Taiwan's WTO accession can pave the way for future cooperation.
The two highest-ranking Japanese officials at the meeting yesterday were Osamu Narumiya, a deputy director general from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, as well as Keiji Ide, a section chief in charge of economic issues from the Japanese foreign ministry.
Reijiro Hattori, chairman of the Japan Interchange Association, said in his opening remarks that both sides should engage in frank discussions at the conference in order to improve understanding.
Both the AEAR and the Japanese Interchange Association are quasi-official organizations established to facilitate ties between Taipei and Tokyo.
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