EconomySEF-ARATS talks to kick off in Taipei SEF spokesman Maa Shaw-chang confirms that Taipei and Beijing will sign agreements on customs cooperation and investment promotion and protection at the upcoming SEF-ARATS talks Aug. 9 in Taipei City. (CNA)
The eighth round of talks between Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation and its mainland Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, will get under way Aug. 8 in Taipei City, with the signing of two agreements high on the agenda. Led by ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin, the mainland Chinese delegation is set to arrive in Taipei on the morning of the two-day event, according to the SEF. Consultations between the two sides have been scheduled for later the same day. The official meeting, to be convened by SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung and Chen, will take place Aug. 9, followed by the signing of bilateral agreements on customs cooperation and investment promotion and protection. Chen and some delegates will visit Hualien Aug. 10 before returning to Beijing the next day. According to the MAC, the pacts are of great importance in light of fast-growing cross-strait economic cooperation and trade volume, and will serve as a model for future negotiations under the Cross Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA). “The two agreements will greatly reduce bilateral trade barriers and promote more business activities across the strait,” SEF spokesman Maa Shaw-chang said. In response to concern that Taiwan is becoming increasingly reliant on mainland China, Maa affirmed that the agreements involve no further market accession to mainland Chinese businesses or regulatory easing on inbound investment from the other side of the strait. According to the SEF, the agency and ARATS have signed 16 agreements since their first official talks in June 2008. The next round of discussions will take place in mainland China. (THN) Write to Meg Chang at sfchang@mail.mofa.gov.tw |
|
Share
MySpace
Facebook
Twitter