Taiwan bereid tot ondertekening vrijhandelsverdrag met EU (en) - Main contents
A resolution passed by the European Parliament supports a proposed FTA between Taiwan and the EU and Taiwan's participation in several international organizations.
President Ma Ying-jeou said Wednesday that Taiwan looks forward to negotiating with the European Union a free trade agreement (FTA) or any other feasible framework that would expand bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
Picture: Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou (right) meets EU parliament member Hans van Baalen. (Photo/CNA)
Speaking during a meeting with Hans van Baalen, deputy head of a pro-Taiwan group in the European Parliament, Ma said Taiwan-EU trade and the number of Taiwanese visitors to the EU have increased substantially in recent years, but more could be done on the economic front.
"We hope to discuss with the EU the possibility of signing a comprehensive economic cooperation accord or other feasible collaboration models to further boost bilateral trade and investment," Ma said.
He told his guest that cross-Taiwan Strait trade volume for items given tariff concessions or exemptions from the beginning of this year under the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) has grown impressively over the past few months.
"We believe Taiwan-EU trade and investment would spike briskly if a similar trade pact could be concluded," Ma noted.
Citing official statistics, Ma said EU states have invested US$30 billion in Taiwan, accounting for more than 30 percent of overall foreign direct investment in Taiwan.
Taiwan-EU trade amounted to US$48.6 billion last year, up 31 percent from the 2010 level, Ma said, adding that two-way trade in the first four months of this year already hit US$17.7 billion, up 19 percent year-on-year.
"All these figures point to continued progress in Taiwan-EU relations," the president said.
Ma also expressed gratitude for the almost unanimous support of EU countries last November to include Taiwan in the Schengen visa-waiver program.
"It was a wise decision," Ma said, pointing to the 23.45 percent year-on-year increase in the number of Taiwanese visitors to EU member states in March 2011.
"It was the largest annual growth rate seen in recent years, and we believe the number will rise further in the future," he added.
Over the past three years, the European Parliament (EP), the EU's legislative arm, has passed 13 resolutions supporting Taiwan's cause, and Ma said Taiwan's government particularly appreciated the resolution passed on May 11.
The resolution supported the signing of an FTA-style Taiwan-EU economic cooperation accord and Taiwan's participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The president also lauded van Baalen, vice chairman of the EP-Taiwan Friendship Group who concurrently serves as president of Liberal International, for his unswerving support for Taiwan.
During his tenure as chairman of the Dutch parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, van Baalen twice voiced opposition, in 2003 and 2005, to a proposal that the EU lift its arms embargo against China.