• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Preparatory talks for 6th Taiwan-China meeting slated for Dec. 14

ROC Central News Agency

2010/12/09 13:30:06

Taipei, Dec. 9 (CNA) Preparatory talks for the sixth high-level cross-Taiwan Strait meeting will be held in Shanghai Dec. 14, a senior Taiwanese negotiator with China said Thursday.

"The Shanghai talks will set the date, venue and agenda for the new round of institutionalized high-level cross-strait talks to be held in Taipei in the second half of this month, " said Kao Koong-lian, deputy chairman and secretary-general of the quasi-official Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF).

As in the past, Kao will head the Taiwanese delegation to the Shanghai preparatory talks with its Chinese counterpart to be led by Zheng Lichong, vice president of the Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS).

Speaking at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan's Interior Affairs Committee, Kao said that the main agenda for the sixth round of cross-strait meeting between SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung and ARATS President Chen Yunlin will be signing a bilateral medical cooperation agreement.

Through five rounds of intensive negotiations between working-level officials, Kao said, the two sides have reached consensus on key provisions of the medical cooperation pact.

As to a proposed cross-strait investment protection agreement, it will be excluded from the agenda for the sixth round of "Chiang-Chen meeting" because the two sides have yet to come to terms on certain clauses, Kao said.

"The investment protection accord covers many complicated issues on which we need more time to hammer out an investment dispute solution mechanism, "he explained, adding that both sides have agreed not to seal the pact at the upcoming round of Chiang-Chen meeting.

The exact date for the sixth Chiang-Chen meeting will be announced at the end of the Shanghai preparatory talks next Tuesday, Kao added.

Meanwhile, Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan said at the same occasion that it was a common decision not to sign the investment protection agreement at the sixth Chiang-Chen meeting.

She denied speculations that talks in this aspect were hindered by a sovereignty dispute, saying arbitration of investment disputes does not involve sovereignty issues.

According to Lai, the snag mainly lies in protection of the safety of Taiwanese businessmen operating in China and their dependents, compensation for property expropriation and technical details regarding the dispute settlement mechanism.

"Some of these issues involve different legal provisions of our two sides which need more time to address, " Lai noted, adding that the MAC hopes globally applicable standards will be adopted to better protect the rights and interests of Taiwanese investors in China.

"In cross-strait talks, any deal or agreement to be sealed with China must meet our interests and expectations, " Lai assured lawmakers. (By Charles Kang and Sofia Wu) enditem/cs