Second round of ECFA talks expected to take place in March

Taiwan's and China's plans to strike the deal in May remain unchanged, Shih confirmed during a Chinese New Year lunch with local reporters.

The signing of the ECFA, which is expected to have a crucial impact on Taiwan's economy, is one of the major policy goals for the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) this year, Shih noted.

According to MOEA officials, among the issues that are expected to be dealt with in the second round of cross-strait ECFA talks will be the “early harvest” lists of each side, naming items that could be first to benefit from the agreement.

Huang Chih-peng, chief of the MOEA's Bureau of Foreign Trade, and Tang Wei, director of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Department under China's Ministry of Commerce, who chaired the first round of talks Jan. 26 in Beijing, will also chair the second round.

Shih said that the administration is fully aware of the stance of the opposition Democratic Progress Party (DPP) on the issue and that his ministry will intensify its communication with the party until the agreement is signed.

The minister also said that trying to persuade the opposition parties and the public that the ECFA is crucial to Taiwan is a tremendously difficult task.

According to Shih, signing an ECFA will not necessarily cause local industries to relocate abroad, but not signing it will definitely result in a fast exodus abroad of local industries, an opinion that is not shared by critics of the ECFA.

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