2013/07/16
No. 186
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) co-hosted a reception at the Taipei Guest House in the afternoon of July 16, 2013, to celebrate the signing of an economic cooperation agreement (ECA) between Taiwan and New Zealand. Present at the grand occasion were President Ma Ying-jeou, Premier Jiang Yi-huah, Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, Director Stephen Payton of the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office, several ambassadors and representatives to the ROC, legislators, business leaders, New Zealand businessmen in Taiwan, and over 300 other esteemed guests.
In his remarks, President Ma expressed pleasure with the conclusion of the Taiwan-New Zealand economic cooperation agreement, which will create economic and trade benefits and have many other implications for both sides. It will not only enhance the economic and trade relations between the two countries and spur the industrial development of both sides, but also show Taiwan’s dedication to trade liberalization and encourage other trade partners to sign similar accords with the ROC. In addition, President Ma pointed out that New Zealand is one of the founding members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and a member of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. This ECA will make conditions more favorable to Taiwan’s participation in these two forums that promote regional economic integration. The President concluded by encouraging relevant government agencies to continue actively expanding Taiwan’s external economic and trade relations and participation in regional economic integration.
Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin emphasized in his remarks that New Zealand is an important trading partner of Taiwan. Due to the highly complementary nature of the two economies, the cooperation will generate more business opportunities for both Taiwan and New Zealand and strengthen their bilateral economic and trade relations.
The ROC-New Zealand ECA is a high-quality, high-standard, and comprehensive pact that aims to eliminate tariffs altogether. It breaks new ground in such areas as e-commerce, competition policy, the environment, and cooperation between indigenous peoples. The reception opened with a dance performance by students from National Taiwan University of Arts. The dance, a fusion of Taiwan indigenous and New Zealand Maori traditions, was choreographed by the students and received warm applause that added to the festive atmosphere. A short film on the actual signing of the ROC-New Zealand ECA last week was also shown, in which several scholars and experts from both countries affirmed the significance of the agreement, concurring that it would bring concrete economic and trade benefits for the two nations.
Ambassadors and representatives to the ROC congratulated Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin and Minister of Economic Affairs Chang Chia-juch on the conclusion of the highly significant bilateral agreement, ending the two-hour reception on a positive note.
After 14 months of negotiations under the framework of the World Trade Organization, the ECA was signed in Wellington, New Zealand, on July 10, 2013, by the representatives of the two countries: Charng Yii-lih, Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Wellington, and Stephen Payton, Director of the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei. (E)