Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Bill Cho (卓士昭) yesterday provided general information to lawmakers about the costs and benefits of a potential entry by Taiwan into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), drawing criticism about the government’s preparedness to steer the nation toward securing a seat in the emerging regional economic integration agreement.
Cho and Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) attended a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee for discussion of the TPP issue.
Cho told Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) that agriculture was the sector that would be hit the hardest if Taiwan joins the TPP, with its production value estimated to fall by NT$72.77 billion (U$2.442 billion). President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) earlier this year said that Taiwan could join the TPP within eight years.
Photo: CNA
According to statistics from the Council of Agriculture, the output value of the agricultural sector stood at NT$475.52 billion in 2011.
Cho did not explain whether that loss was estimated on an annual basis or on a longer period.
Questioned later by other lawmakers who were eager to know the exact details of the estimates, Cho said he did not have comprehensive information at hand.
“By all accounts, the benefits of TPP membership outweigh the costs,” Cho said, basing his remarks on an impact assessment conducted by the Chung-Hua Institute for Economic Research (CIER).
CIER’s initial report showed that joining the TPP would increase the nation’s GDP by 1.46 percent and that the nation’s textile industry’s production value would increase by US$4.46 billion; that of the chemical, plastic and rubber products industry by US$2.023 billion; the leather garment and leather product industry by between US$1.2 billion and US$1.4 billion; and the services industry by US$11.562 billion, Cho said.
Cho said that CIER is expected to present a detailed assessment report in June.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Pi-han (陳碧涵) demanded that the ministry present the committee with its analysis of how Taiwan’s entry into the TPP would affect agricultural jobs, cause reduced income for farmers and reduce the nation’s food self-sufficiency ratio, as well as the government’s response strategies.
DPP Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) urged the government to be more explicit about unresolved trade issues between Taiwan and its trading partners.
Hsiao said that the government needed to speak plainly to those who might be negatively affected by bilateral or multilateral free-trade agreements and discuss with them measures to help them adjust to trade liberalization.
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
DEMAND: The government should enact regulations in line with Austria and Germany to incorporate vegan nutrition into school meals, an advocate said More than 1,000 people yesterday marched in Taipei to promote veganism, calling for legislation to incorporate vegan diets into school lunches and the national net zero emissions program. Participants gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building for the march, which was organized by the Vegan Action Network (VAN). Former ambassador to Chad Chiu Chung-jen (邱仲仁), actor Yankee Yang (楊子儀) and actress Cindy Lien (連俞涵) attended the event. VAN member Marianne Chao (趙梅君) said that the campaign aimed to urge the government to promote vegan diets across schools and government agencies via legislation and national policies, which would help build
RSS