CECA is non-political: Ma

Issues that need to be addressed include tariffs, non-tariff measures, investment protection, prevention of double taxation, intellectual property right protection, and the establishment of a mechanism for dispute mediation, Ma said.

Ma suggested that Taiwan and China sign separate agreements on each of the issues. He also dismissed the worries that such an agreement would open Taiwan to Chinese laborers or to more Chinese agricultural products.

He maintained that the government will make sure that any moves will be in the interests of Taiwan and its people. To dismiss the opposition's worries about the pact downgrading Taiwan's sovereignty, Ma proposed it be renamed an "economic cooperation framework agreement."

Ma said various kinds of FTAs carry seven different names within the WTO framework, including CECA and CEPA.

With China isolating Taiwan internationally, Ma said that the cross-strait agreement would facilitate Taiwan's efforts to sign FTAs with other WTO members.

Since becoming a WTO member in 2002, Taiwan has been able to sign five FTAs, all with its diplomatic allies in Latin American, Ma said.

He said Taiwan's major trade partners, the United States, Japan and Southeast Asian nations, are all expecting it to reach an agreement with China first before they would begin FTA talks with the island.

Ma promised the agreement with China will be signed with both sides on equal footing. He said government agencies handling the issue will report to the Legislature before negotiating with China.

In the meantime, Premier Liu Chao-shiuan told lawmakers that the administration does not have a timetable for signing the cross-strait economic agreement.

He said any agreements signed with China would need the endorsement of the Legislature before implementation. 

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