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Updated Thursday, April 1, 2010 9:35 am TWN, The China Post news staff

ECFA pact taking shape

TAOYUAN, Taiwan -- Negotiators from Taipei and Beijing have agreed to hold an extra session early this morning in order to hammer out substantive results for the proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) which was described as taking shape following a full-day discussion yesterday.

Huang Chih-peng, director-general of the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and chief of the Taiwan delegation, confirmed that an extra session will be added to today's agenda to discuss regulations concerning origins of products and services.

He declined to divulge on the progress of talks on the products and services on the “early harvest” lists eligible for immediate tariff reduction or exemption.

But Huang acknowledged that the talks had entered the phase of “hard haggling” over what and which items should be placed on the lists.

Senior officials of the Taipei-based semiofficial Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said delegates from both sides should conduct negotiations with a candid and frank attitude in order to achieve concrete results.

Other delegates revealed that a draft ECFA pact was taking shape since consensus was reached yesterday on more than one-third of the terms in the pivotal trade agreement between Taiwan and China which is expected to be signed formally in June.

Concerning the concern that banking and other financial services were not on the agenda of the current second round of talks, Huang explained that the delegates are now focusing mainly on merchandise and service sectors for initial results while other complex issues will be discussed at separate meetings in the near future.

In a six-minute opening speech at yesterday's meeting. Huang said China should substantiate its goodwill toward Taiwan in the negotiations.

Local farmers and people involved in certain conventional domestic demand-oriented industries remain wary about the possible adverse impact of the trade deal, and Huang said he hopes Chinese negotiators will show goodwill in negotiations to reflect concessions to Taiwan as promised by senior Chinese leaders.

“We should shelve controversies and find common grounds based on the principle of reciprocity,” Huang said.

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	Huang Chih-peng, right, director-general of the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) and chief Taiwan delegate, shakes hands with his counterpart, Tang Wei, from China at the opening of the two-day talks on the proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) that started yesterday at the Ta Shee Resort in Taoyuan County. (CNA) Enlarge Photo


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