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MAC approves of flag at China talks
NO REPEATS:An official from the government¡¦s top body for
China affairs said the flag stood for the nation and police would not force
people to stop flying it
By Ko Shu-ling / Staff Reporter
Saying that exchanges with China must not undermine sovereignty or the country¡¦s
position, a Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) official yesterday suggested people
would not be apprehended if they bring the national flag to the cross-strait
high-level talks set to begin on Monday in Taipei.
¡§I believe the security details and law enforcement personnel fully understand
where we stand in this matter,¡¨ MAC Deputy Minister Liu Te-shun (¼B¼w¾±) said. ¡§The
national flag represents the country...It will be where it is supposed to be.
The same principle applies to the cross-strait meetings.¡¨
Liu made the remarks in response to a media inquiry about the council¡¦s position
on bringing the national flag to the meeting between Straits Exchange Foundation
(SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (¦¿¤ş©[) and Association for Relations Across the
Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (³¯¶³ªL) following the council¡¦s recent
promotional campaign that stated ¡§the national flag should be left where it is
supposed to be.¡¨
Liu yesterday encouraged the public to better understand the institutionalized
negotiation system between the SEF and ARATS. He also urged the public to
¡§participate in the meeting in different forms.¡¨ He did not elaborate.
Taipei and Beijing have held five high-level meetings since 2008. The next round
will take place in Taipei from Monday to Wednesday when Chiang and Chen are set
to sign an agreement on medical and health cooperation.
The two sides had originally planned to sign a separate accord on investment
protection, but agreed to postpone it, citing the complexity of the issue and
time constraints.
Liu yesterday said both sides have had differences since the beginning, but each
side knows full well the other¡¦s concerns and it takes time to iron them out.
On the cross-strait economic cooperation committee, Liu said that it will be
subject to legislative oversight. Liu said the function of the committee is to
negotiate, not to set policies.
Once the negotiations are complete, any agreement that need to be signed will be
handled by the SEF and ARATS before proceeding to the legislature for approval,
he said, adding that the committee cannot make any decision, nor can it replace
the SEF or ARATS.
The Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) Taipei and Beijing signed in
June stipulates that once the trade pact takes effect, the two sides are to set
up a cross-strait economic cooperation committee, and within six months will
initiate discussions on agreements on investment protection, commodity trade,
service trade and a dispute-resolving mechanism.
The ECFA came into force on Sept. 12, while the ¡§early harvest¡¨ program will be
implemented on Jan. 1 next year.
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