Fourth Round of Informal Talks on ECFA Postponed

 Fourth Round of Informal Talks on ECFA Postponed

Source: All Taipei Newspapers

November 1, 2009

The fourth round of informal talks on a cross-Strait economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) has been postponed. Consequently, the delegation representing the Economics Ministry, which had originally planned to leave for Beijing today, has deferred its departure.

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), which is in charge of arranging the informal talks, stated that it had not received any information about the delay in advance. However, a spokesman for the MAC said that the delay would not affect the overall progress of the talks on a cross-Strait ECFA.

Huang Chih-peng, chief of the Bureau of Foreign Trade under the Economics Ministry, said that the ministry had already received a message from the Mainland stating that the details of the consultations and progress required further discussion. As a result, Huang said that the two sides decided to postpone the informal talks. Asked whether the delay was related to the intense media coverage of public concern about the progress of a cross-Strait ECFA, the Economics Ministry spokesman declined to comment.

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