The government is still working on an "early harvest" list for industries that will qualify for concessionary tariff treatment under a proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with the mainland, Taiwan's top cross-straits planner said Thursday.

Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan made the remarks at the Legislative Yuan's committee on internal affairs while briefing lawmakers on the recent second round of ECFA talks across the Taiwan Strait.

During the meeting, opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators criticized the administration of "President" Ma Ying-jeou for what they called a lack of transparency in dealing with the negotiations.

DPP Legislator Lai Ching-te accused the administration of looking down on the legislature as it has so far not presented the draft text of the agreement and the related "early harvest" list for screening.

In response, Lai said that during the March 31-April 1 ECFA talks in Taiwan, mainland negotiators did not produce any "wish list" of goods and services for immediate tariff concessions or reductions that could form the backbone of an ECFA, seen as a scaled-down free trade agreement.

Likewise, Lai said, Taiwan did not unveil any "early harvest" list at the talks because the content is still in the works.

"It would put Taiwan at a disadvantage if we unilaterally revealed our 'early harvest' list at this moment," Lai told lawmakers.

Huang Chih-peng, director-general of the Bureau of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Economic Affairs who led the Taiwanes delegation at the second round of ECFA talks, was also present at the legislative meeting.

Meanwhile, Chen Tain-jy, a professor at National Taiwan University and former minister of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, said at a seminar that the ECFA will normalize cross-Straits economic relations.

During the video conference organized by the Government Information Office, Chen said an economic cooperation framework agreement would provide a platform for Taiwan and the mainland to resolve all their bilateral trade issues under the World Trade Organization framework.

For Taiwan firms, the pact will convert the mainland from an offshore export processing zone into an attractive market, he said.

This is very important in light of the fact that the mainland is losing its luster as a global processing zone because of rising labor costs and a policy shift toward domestic market development, Chen said.

In addition to providing a level playing field for Taiwan business people on the mainland, Chen said the pact will open up new chances for them to cooperate with their mainland counterparts.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 04/09/2010 page8)