The seventh institutionalized high-level cross-strait talks may take place in Tianjin, China, on Sept. 28 or Sept. 29 at the earliest, an official familiar with cross-strait affairs said on Thursday.
Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) was scheduled to meet with his counterpart — Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) — last month to sign two agreements on nuclear safety cooperation and investment protection, on behalf of their respective governments.
However, the meeting was postponed because the two sides failed to reach agreement in time on critical points regarding the investment protection pact, especially the provisions on trade dispute arbitration and personal safety of Taiwanese investors in China.
According to the official, the negotiations are now in the final stages and the two sides plan to hold a final round of preliminary talks in Beijing soon.
“If the discussions proceed smoothly, the relevant agencies will immediately make arrangements for the seventh Chiang-Chen meeting to seal the two agreements,” the official said.
If all goes well, he said, the conference may open on either Sept. 28 or Sept. 29 in Tianjin.
It was reported earlier that the problems had to do with the investment protection agreement, particularly regarding investors’ personal safety, and a mechanism for settling trade disputes.
Chiang said late last month that there were not many areas of conflict, but the finishing touches were not yet complete.
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