TAIPEI: Yesterday, Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou once again touted the need to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with Beijing, saying such a pact will help maintain trade across the Taiwan Straits in a systematic and orderly manner.

"Many countries around the world have been actively negotiating bilateral or multilateral free trade agreements (FTA), we cannot afford to buck this trend," Ma said at the opening of a global business conference.

Noting that the proposed ECFA with the mainland is similar to the provisions of FTAs among other economies, Ma said he believes the cross-Straits ECFA can help pave the way for Taiwan to participate in international organizations and multilateral economic integration.

Addressing the 400-plus participants in the seventh Global Chinese Business Leader Summit, sponsored by the Taipei-based Global View Monthly, Ma noted that cross-Straits commercial exchanges have grown even more robust in the past year.

The mainland used to account for about 24 percent of Taiwan's exports, but the figure has now grown to 40 percent, Ma said, adding that the number of direct cross-Straits flights has also increased to 270 per week.

"All these figures indicate the vitality of cross-Straits trade," Ma said.

However, increased economic exchanges require a well-designed framework or system to handle many important issues, such as tariff concessions and investment disputes, in an orderly way, he added.

Ma said that after signing many critical agreements on direct cross-Straits transport links, food safety and judicial assistance in previous rounds of high-level talks, the two sides will discuss many other topics, including fishery cooperation, product inspection criteria and avoidance of double taxation, in the upcoming fourth round of talks, he added.

Meanwhile, the Legislative Yuan decided yesterday to ask the administration to raise the issue of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection in the fifth round of cross-Straits talks between Taipei and Beijing.

Both ruling and opposition party legislators in the Legislative Yuan's Economics Committee passed a resolution during a committee meeting demanding that relevant executive agencies raise the issue with the mainland.

Their decision was aimed at protecting the IPR of Taiwan's businesses at a time when many Taiwanese companies' trademarks have been pirated by mainland businesses, legislators said, adding that the matter has become a chief barrier in cross-Straits trade.

The fifth round of talks between Taiwan and the mainland is scheduled to be held in the first half of 2010.

Lawmakers also asked that the IPR issue be discussed in advance during the fourth round of cross-Straits talks between Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and the Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS). That round of talks will take place in December in central Taiwan's Taichung City.

During the legislative committee meeting's interpellation session, ruling Kuomintang Legislator Ting Shou-chung questioned Wang Mei-hua, director-general of Taiwan's Intellectual Property Office, on whether her office has contacted mainland authorities concerning IPR infringement on Taiwan companies.

Wang, however, was reserved about the suggestion, saying that it is not only up to her agency, but various other government agencies to decide when to raise the issue with the mainland.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 11/06/2009 page2)