MOEA applauds Beijing's interest in free trade zone

Yu Wen-yea, director general of the ministry's Board of Foreign Trade, said he would be more than happy to see the idea put into action.

He said a free trade zone would definitely boost trade between the two political arch-rivals.

A mainland Chinese scholar recently indicated that Beijing is working out concrete measures to promote trade relations across the Taiwan Strait with the goal of establishing a cross-strait free trade zone.

Liu Guangxi, deputy dean of the Shanghai Foreign Trade College and a former assistant to Long Yungtu, Beijing's chief World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiator, disclosed that Beijing was considering creating the free trade zone so as to avoid political controversy between the mainland and Taiwan while also complying with WTO rules.

Many WTO countries have chosen to forge ahead with their own free trade agreements with other regional countries as members of the multi-lateral trade body have been slow in adopting economic liberalization measures, mainly because the body contains too many members, said Wu.

On Jan. 14, Japan signed a free trade agreement with Singapore. Taiwan, mainland China, Hong Kong and South Korea have not joined the agreement, he said.

But mainland China is currently in talks with the 10 Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) members about signing free trade agreements, and is also considering forging such agreements with Hong Kong and Macau, according to Wu.

But it takes time for countries at varying levels of economic and trade development to be bundled together under a free trade agreement, said Wu.

It will be even more difficult for both sides of the Taiwan strait to sign such an agreement, given the intricate politics involved, including the "three-links" issue, he added.

Mainland China views Taiwan as part of its territory and vows to eventually retake the island, by force if necessary.

Beijing recently made an unprecedented gesture of goodwill towards Taipei, the first since the Democratic Progressive Party came into power in May 2000.

Mainland China’s Vice Premier Qian Qichen said Thursday that Beijing is willing to begin engaging the ruling DPP.

Qian said that members of the DPP were now welcome to visit the mainland with the "appropriate status," but gave no specifics.

Qian added that only a few of the DPP's people are staunchly pro-independence.

"We believe that there is a distinction between the vast majority of DPP members and a very small number of stubborn Taiwan independence activists," Qian was quoted by a state radio station as saying.

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