|
¡@
Former diplomat skeptical about benefits
of an ECFA
PLACEBO PACT?: Benjamin Lu, trade expert and former
diplomat to the US, the UK and Belgium, said he didn't believe the pact would
increase exports to China
By William Lowther
STAFF REPORTER, WASHINGTON
Thursday, Mar 18, 2010, Page 1
Former diplomat and trade expert Benjamin Lu (¾|»F©¾) is calling on the Ma
administration to clearly explain and reveal all details of a proposed economic
cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China before developing the pact any
further with Beijing.
¡§People in Taiwan are very much concerned about an ECFA, but strangely the
government is keeping them in the dark,¡¨ he said during an interview in
Washington, where he is currently visiting family.
¡§It is very unusual,¡¨ Lu added. ¡§They are not releasing details of their talks
with Beijing. They are keeping things secret and that is making people [feel it
is] very dubious.¡¨
A specialist in international trade policy, Lu served as deputy director of the
Bureau of Foreign Trade in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and in the late
1980s and early 1990s he was one of Taiwan¡¦s top diplomats, serving as
representative in the UK, the US and in Belgium.
¡§I certainly don¡¦t believe that the proposed ECFA will provide any opportunity
for Taiwan to increase its exports to the PRC [People¡¦s Republic of China],¡¨ he
said. ¡§The reason is that what we can manufacture in Taiwan can be manufactured
in mainland China at a much cheaper price. We have no competitive edge at all,
even with the concession of a tariff provided by ECFA, if there is any. There is
a slight chance for Taiwan to export more tropical fruit to mainland China and
some semi-finished products.¡¨
Lu spoke out in the aftermath of a statement from President Ma Ying-jeou¡¦s (°¨^¤E)
office dismissing criticism from former president Lee Teng-hui (§õµn½÷) and retired
US diplomat John Tkacik, who both said they believed an ECFA would undermine
Taiwan¡¦s competitiveness.
The statement said that Tkacik had been ¡§misleading¡¨ and offered to ¡§explain¡¨
the trade pact to Lee, hinting that he had failed to understand it.
Lu, on the other hand, said that he agreed with Tkacik and Lee, and that both
men deserved to be treated with respect and have their concerns properly
answered.
¡§As a result of [an] ECFA, a lot of other products, including agricultural
products, will be sold from mainland China to Taiwan and that will definitely
hurt the domestic economy,¡¨ Lu said.
¡§I am also skeptical that the proposed pact will pave the way to other
free-trade agreements. I believe that a certain kind of political maneuver will
be exercised to put up obstacles to the enforcement of the pact,¡¨ he added.
The only positive point that Lu could see to an ECFA was the protection it might
provide to Taiwanese investment in China, but to what extent that protection
would be implemented remained to be seen.
¡§It¡¦s easy talking, but doing is something else,¡¨ he said.
Lu added that he ¡§totally agreed¡¨ with Tkacik that an ECFA would marginalize the
Taiwanese economy.
¡§I think Ma¡¦s government is pretty stubborn,¡¨ he said. ¡§They don¡¦t care about
the concerns of the people. We need to have all of the details of the talks.
They must not continue to keep them secret.¡¨
¡@
|
