MOEA official: ECFA would be void if rejected by referendum
Taiwan Today | 6 May 2010
MOEA official: ECFA would be void if rejected by referendum
The Ma Ying-jeou administration would seek to nullify the economic cooperation framework agreement expected to be signed with mainland China if the Taiwanese people vetoed the pact via a referendum, Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang said in the Legislative Yuan May 5.
Shih made the remark while he and Council for Economic Planning and Development Minister Tsai Hsung-hsiung were at an interpellation session with the Economics Committee of the Legislative Yuan.
Asked by ruling Kuomintang Legislator Lee Ching-hua to comment on the progress of ECFA negotiations, Shih said it is very likely that Taiwan will sign the trade pact with Mainland China in June, but the outcome still depends on how well the negotiation process goes.
“However, if ECFA were rejected by the people in a referendum, that would mean the agreement is invalid,” Shih said. “In that case we would notify the mainland and ask that the agreement be terminated within a certain period of time in accordance with the termination clause in ECFA.”
The third round of ECFA negotiations is scheduled for next week, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The early harvest list and issues pertaining to the financial industry will be discussed during the upcoming negotiations, said an economic official, who added that the final agenda has still not been completely agreed upon.
“The Executive Yuan is supposed to answer to the Legislative Yuan, and thus we shall ask the Legislature to ratify the agreement as soon as it is signed,” Shih said.
As for the referendum, now being proposed by the opposition Taiwan Solidarity Union, Shih said the government would “fully respect public opinion and whatever choice the people decide on.” If ECFA is approved by the Legislature but rejected in a referendum, the referendum results will override the Legislature’s decision, he said.
The minister cited a recent statement by Ma that if ECFA does not serve Taiwan’s interests, it can be given up completely. “As a public servant, I would not wish to act contrary to Taiwan’s interests, either,” Shih said. (KP-HZW)
