Deputy economics minister Cho Shih-chao says negotiations on a trade in goods agreement with China will open as scheduled.
Taiwan and China are set to hold negotiations on the agreement next week. Cho said on Wednesday that political differences will not delay the talks.
Cho said he hopes Taiwan will be able sign a trade in goods agreement with China before its biggest export competitor, South Korea, inks a free trade agreement with Beijing. However, Cho also admitted that this will be difficult.
Cho said that non-trade factors should not affect negotiations on the trade in goods agreement. He also said that once China and South Korea sign a free trade agreement, Taiwanese companies will lose many export orders.