巧克力蛋糕

The government recently said it would try to achieve major progress within five to six years in its effort to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), with the goal of gaining accession within 10 years.

 Can we really wait another 10 years? So far, 12 of the 21 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members have decided to take part in what is expected to become the world's largest free trade area. Entering the TPP will allow Taiwan to emerge rapidly from the shadows of marginalization and offset the advantages enjoyed by South Korea following the signing of its FTA with the Untied States and the European Union. Furthermore, as the TPP is supposed to be open to all APEC members, Taiwan will be able to avoid the political hurdles it faces in bilateral FTA bids. But we are now treating this godsent opportunity as if it were a hot potato, saying 10 years of preparation is needed. The government explained that this is because the TPP will be a "high-quality, across-the-board" free trade pact that will grant zero-tariff status to most products traded within the regime. But a close look at the FTAs signed by Taiwan's major trade partners with other countries reveals that over 90 percent of product categories are covered by zero-tariff treatment. Under the U.S.-South Korea FTA, as high as 99 percent of American industrial products will enjoy zero-tariff access to Korea. Some have also mentioned the need to protect the domestic agricultural sector. But any FTAs leave open the possibility of excluding import-sensitive products. South Korea, for example, has successfully had rice, chilies and garlic excluded from the tariff reduction list in its FTA with the European Union. It seems our government is giving up without a fight. Most importantly, these problems are not unique to Taiwan. Countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia also have a need to protect their manufacturing sectors, but how come they do not need a 10-year buffer period? Let's further look at South Korea and Japan, whose agricultural sectors are structurally similar to Taiwan's. While Korea has completed its FTAs with the United States and the European Union, Japan has decided to join the TPP process. With the presidential and legislative polls approaching, both the ruling Kuomintang and opposition Democratic Progressive Party are reserved about the TPP. Whichever party comes to power in the future, however, it will not be able to ignore this "now or never" choice. At a time when other countries are moving forward at the speed of light, we cannot afford to wait for another 10 years. The government should complete its assessment of the TPP issue within 10 months. (Editorial abstract -- Nov. 16, 2011) (By Y.F. Low)

From:Taiwan news