President Ma is Determined to Sign FTAs

President Ma is Determined to Sign FTAs
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
May 4, 2010

President Ma Ying-jeou said he would elevate the status of the administration's free trade agreement (FTA) task force. He would personally head the organization. This is a rare departure from past practice. It underscores our leaders' resolve, and it deserves our applause.
The president is the nation's highest ranking political leader. Entities headed by the president have extraordinary significance. Examples include the National Unification Council and the Cultural Association. Such entities can be counted on the fingers of one hand. For the president to convene such an entity is no minor matter. It is a powerful political gesture, a declaration that the government intends to do everything in its power to promote the matter and to achieve results. Therefore when Ma Ying-jeou announces that the government is elevating the status of the FTA task force to the presidential level, it amounts to a political endorsement by the highest ranking official in the nation. It is a political commitment to the public as a whole. Obviously once the two sides sign ECFA, the Ma administration's next objective will be to sign FTAs.

Taipei has long sought to sign FTAs with other governments. But so far it has made little headway. Only five governments in Central America have signed. They are Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador. The problem is primarily political -- opposition from Beijing. Taipei's major trading partners are not diplomatic allies. During past attempts to sign FTAs, the other side was often concerned about Beijing. The most progress made toward the signing of FTAs with former allies or non allies was with Singapore. But negotiations broke down over what to call the Republic of China government in Taipei.

Products exported from other countries are often tariff free. Products exported from the Taiwan region on the other hand, are subject to tariffs. This of course adversely impacts price competitiveness and profits. That is why our government actively sought World Trade Organization (WTO) membership for so long, and why it has now finally been able to join. We hoped that the WTO would eliminate all national trade barriers in one fell swoop. But progress was stalled during the Doha Rounds. Many governments reverted to bilateral and regional FTAs. To date nations the world over have signed 266 FTAs. On January 1 of this year, the ASEAN plus mainland China (ASEAN plus One) Free Trade Zone was launched. In terms of size it trails only the European Union and NAFTA. Two years from now, Japan and South Korea will join, making it ASEAN plus Three.

FTAs are of course not panaceas. Deciding which industries should be opened up and which should be protected will require lengthy consultation. Signing an FTA does not guarantee a dramatic increase in trade. But once a free trade bloc has been formed, not being part of it often means the loss of vital opportunities. That is why so many are worried. If Taipei cannot find a way to join FTAs as soon as possible, Taiwan's economy is likely to be marginalized in the global marketplace.

Signing ECFA will definitely help the cross-Strait flow of goods, capital and technology. But the public also wants Taipei to improve cross-Strait relations. It wants more internationalization. It does not want to move further away from the international community. It does not want to be absorbed by the mainland's economic system, and to gradually lose its autonomy. To do so would increase public anxiety. If the government can sign FTAs with the governments of other countries, it will create more trade opportunities. It will also establish balance, reducing dependence upon the mainland market, and decreasing public anxiety.

Beijing once opposed Taipei signing FTAs with non allies. It felt that signing FTAs was an assertion of national sovereignty. Therefore once the two sides sign ECFA, Beijing will no longer stop Taipei from signing FTAs with other countries. This will be an important indicator of Beijing's goodwill, and is something the Ma administration eagerly anticipates. Many governments have expressed a willingness to sign FTAs with Taipei. The precondition is that Beijing does not object. In other words, if this obstacle can be removed, Taipei may be able to sign FTAs much sooner.

In recent years Taipei has attempted to handle the matter according to WTO rules. Some time ago, the "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" (Chinese Taipei for short) joined the WTO, the Conference on Asian Economic Cooperation (APEC) and other organizations. This was a flexible and pragmatic approach. Resort to such terminology allowed greater ambiguity regarding sovereignty. It increased the likelihood that Taipei would be admitted. This is not our favored model. This is not a perfect model. But it is the most viable model, and it enables us to rejoin the international community.

Beijing and Taipei are both WTO members. If Taipei uses the WTO model to sign FTAs with non allies, it is consistent with WTO resolutions. It does not conflict with these countries' non recognition policy toward the Republic of China. Beijing, which is also a WTO member, truly has no cause to object.

The Beijing government's Taiwan Affairs Office Director Wang Yi recently said that if Taipei signs FTAs with other countries, it will be "good for everyone." This is a positive development. We hope this means Beijing is willing to express greater goodwill toward Taipei. The diplomatic truce has enabled Taipei to attend the World Health Assembly. Once the two sides increase exchanges by signing ECFA, Beijing should drop its objections and allow Taipei to sign FTAs with other governments.

中時電子報 新聞
中國時報 　2010.05.04
馬總統領軍簽FTA 展現積極意志
本報訊

馬英九總統表示將提升政府自由貿易協定（ＦＴＡ）小組層級，由他本人親自領軍，這是過去少見的作法，充分傳達出一個國家領導人的積極意志，值得喝采。

總統的政治高度居全國之最，回顧過去，由總統親自領軍的組織，都有特別重要的實質及象徵意義，例如國統會、文化總會，但類似案例屈指可數，因為以總統之尊來擔綱召集非同小可，其動作本身就是一個強烈的政治姿態，宣示國家將全力推動這項政策，而且務求取得成果。因此，馬英九宣布把政府ＦＴＡ小組拉高到總統層級，是以國家最高領導人的全部政治重量來背書，也是他自己對全民的一個政治承諾。由此看來，顯然在兩岸簽署ＥＣＦＡ之後，馬政府下一個全力推動的目標將是ＦＴＡ。

台灣過去一直尋求與其他國家簽署ＦＴＡ，但進展有限，至今只和巴拿馬、瓜地馬拉、尼加拉瓜、宏都拉斯、薩爾瓦多等五個中美洲國家完成簽署。問題主要還是卡在政治─也就是中國的反對。台灣的主要貿易夥伴都不是邦交國，過去要洽簽ＦＴＡ時，往往對方會顧忌中國的反對。之前和非邦交國談ＦＴＡ進度最好的是新加坡，但最後是在台灣的名稱問題上卡住而停擺至今。

同一個市場，其他國家產品進入不需關稅，台灣產品進入卻要加上關稅，價格競爭力及獲利當然大受影響。這也是為什麼，我國積極爭取多年，終於能夠加入世界貿易組織（ＷＴＯ）。當時希望藉著ＷＴＯ的平台，一舉翻越各國貿易障礙，但杜哈回合進展停滯，許多國家於是回歸雙邊及集團化的ＦＴＡ。至今全球已經簽了二百六十六個ＦＴＡ，今年一月一日起東南亞國協與中國的「東協加一」自由貿易區上路，規模僅次於歐洲聯盟與北美自由貿易區。兩年後，日本與南韓還會加入，形成「東協加三」的格局。

當然，ＦＴＡ不是萬靈丹，哪些產業要開放、哪些要保護，都需要相當的磋商過程，簽了也不見得保證讓貿易突飛猛進，但在這個自由貿易區塊紛紛成形的時代，沒有它，可能會失去很多機會。因此不少人擔心，台灣如果不能盡快尋求進入自貿集團的管道，很可能會在全球競爭中落入邊緣地位。

兩岸簽署ＥＣＦＡ固然有助貨品、資金、技術的流通，但民眾也希望台灣在改善兩岸關係後，能進一步加強國際化，而不是被吸納到中國經濟體系裡，逐漸失去自主性，離國際社會也愈來愈遠，這會讓民眾的不安全感增強。如果政府能與其他國家簽署ＦＴＡ，當然有助於開拓更多貿易商機，此外還可以產生平衡效果，一方面降低對中國市場的依賴，一方面也化解民眾的不安。

過去中國強烈反對台灣與非邦交國簽署ＦＴＡ，認為簽署ＦＴＡ是對國家主權地位的一種肯定，因此在兩岸簽署ＥＣＦＡ之後，中國是不是繼續阻擋台灣與其他國家簽署ＦＴＡ，將是民眾評量中國對台善意的一項重要指標，也是接下來對馬政府的期待。很多國家都表示樂意與台灣簽署ＦＴＡ，前提是中國並不反對，換句話說，這道障礙若能撤除，台灣對外簽署ＦＴＡ的進度有可能大幅加快。

其實，近年來台灣已試圖循ＷＴＯ模式處理。當年台灣以台澎金馬關稅領域（簡稱中華台北）加入ＷＴＯ、亞洲經合會議（ＡＰＥＣ）等組織，就是一種務實的變通作法。用這個名稱模式，可以讓主權地位問題多些模糊空間，增加台灣被接納的機會。這不是我們最喜歡的完美模式，卻是要參與國際社會目前最可行的方案。

事實上，中國與台灣都是ＷＴＯ的會員，台灣如果用ＷＴＯ模式來與非邦交國簽署ＦＴＡ，既符合ＷＴＯ的決議，也不違背這些國家並不承認中華民國的外交立場，同樣是ＷＴＯ會員的中國，實在不需要再強硬反對。

中國國台辦主任王毅日前表示，台灣與其他國家簽署ＦＴＡ，「對大家都有好處」，態度相當正面。我們希望這意味著中國對台灣願意釋出更多善意，在「外交休兵」、台灣獲邀出席世界衛生組織年會、兩岸加強交流及簽署ＥＣＦＡ之後，中國還能放手不再干擾台灣對外簽署ＦＴＡ的努力。