Economics Minister John Deng says that the timing of talks on a cross-strait trade in goods agreement is a matter of convenience for both sides.
Deng was speaking Wednesday, the same day that a Taiwanese delegation left for Beijing for technical consultations on the agreement. The government reached the decision to send the delegation on Tuesday, announcing the decision on Tuesday evening.
The opposition DPP has called for talks to be postponed, as Taiwan gears up for an election next week and change of government in May. Deng responded to concerns raised by DPP lawmakers by saying that the timing has no political implications. He said that the Taiwan and the Mainland sides agreed that Wednesday was a suitable day for the consultation.
Deng said that the trade in goods agreement will help reduce unemployment in Taiwan. He said the economics ministry does not want progress on the agreement to slow down because of the elections.
Deng said that his ministry hopes negotiations will lead to lowered Chinese tariffs on Taiwanese exports of panels, machine tools, petrochemicals, and auto parts. He also said that the ministry also hopes to create room for further tariff reductions for Taiwan’s small- and medium-sized enterprises.