Taiwan delegation arrives in Beijing, 1st round opens today

TAIPEI: With the first round of negotiations on a proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) between Taiwan and the mainland set to take place in Beijing today, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) expressed hope yesterday that the talks will quickly enter a substantive stage.

The first round of ECFA talks, dubbed a "working-level meeting of experts," will focus on groundwork discussions, including topics such as the accord's title and overall framework, to facilitate follow-up negotiations on substantive issues, MAC deputy chief Te-shun Liu said at a news conference.

"We have our own plans, but reaching a consensus between the two sides is vital," Liu said.

Liu estimated that substantive discussions might begin sometime in February. "All depends on the results of the first round of talks in Beijing," he said.

Meanwhile, the proposed "early harvest list" of industries will be touched on in the first round of ECFA talks, although the talks will focus only on issues in principle.

The "early harvest list" encompasses industries that will be given tariff concessions in view of the new "ASEAN plus the mainland" trade zone. The list is intended to help mitigate the impact of the agreement on Taiwan's industries.

"No details or list regarding the 'early harvest' will be discussed this time," according to a "Ministry of Economic Affairs" (MOEA) source.

Liu also addressed a rumor that Beijing has prepared its own "early harvest" list, with approximately the same number of proposed items as Taiwan's and that the list may be put on the table at today's talks. He said that if the mainland shows such a list, the Taiwanese negotiators will make decisions that ensure Taiwan's best interests.

A 13-member Taiwanese delegation, headed by Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Vice Chairman Kao Koong-lian, arrived in Beijing yesterday for the ECFA talks.

Kao said prior to his departure that the delegation will seek to secure the best possible benefits for Taiwan in the first round of talks with its mainland counterpart on the proposed ECFA that will kick off in Beijing today.

The January 1 formal inauguration of the "ASEAN plus the mianland" free trade area that allows zero tariffs on trade between the Chinese mainland and the ASEAN countries has put Taiwanese exporters at a disadvantage, Kao said. Therefore, striking an ECFA deal with the mainland is a necessary and urgent task, he added.

He gave the assurance that the ECFA talks will not lead to the entry of any mainland farm produce that is not on the existing import list and will not touch on the issue of opening Taiwan's job market to mainland workers.

The ECFA is an all-encompassing treaty that would cover tariff reductions, market access and economic cooperation in areas like intellectual property rights enforcement. Taiwan also hopes that an ECFA deal with the mainland will facilitate its bid to sign free trade talks with its major trading partners, such as the United States, Japan and ASEAN member states.

The Taiwan delegation includes Huang Chih-peng, director-general of the "Bureau of Foreign Trade" under the MOEA; Lee Li-chen, chief of the MAC's Department of Economic Affairs; and other key MOEA, MAC and SEF officials.

The mainland delegation will be led by Zheng Lizhong, vice president of Beijing's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 01/26/2010 page2)