Taiwan has chance to sign FTAs with trading partners: president
FocusTaiwan News, Taipei
Taiwan has chance to sign FTAs with trading partners: president
1 July 2010
By Garfie Li and Lilian Wu
Taipei, July 1 (CNA) Taiwan has a chance to sign free trade agreements (FTAs) or similar economic cooperation agreements with its trade partners after the signing of a trade pact with China, President Ma Ying-jeou said Thursday.
"Judging From China’s recent gestures, the matter (Taiwan’s signing of FTAs with other countries) should have a chance, " the president said.
Wang Yi, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office under China’s State Council, said recently that China will address Taiwan’s promotion of signing FTAs with its trading partners in a "reasonable manner."
Speaking at a news conference two days after Taiwan and China signed an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) , Ma said that Southeast Asian and Asia-Pacific countries have already responded positively to inking FTAs with Taiwan.
But at this stage, it would be better for Taiwan to analyze these responses in a pragmatic manner, Ma said, expressing hope that in time, "there will be substantive results."
He pointed out that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are members of the World Trade Organization, and said it is the right of WTO members to sign FTAs and economic cooperation agreements between themselves, which China should understand.
Ma said that Taiwan will not slow its pace, but will in fact soon set up a special task force under the National Security Council to further promote the inking of FTAs.
But he also said that in the initial stage, the matter is sensitive, and it is inappropriate to "elaborate on its progress."
