MAC issues a three-point statement on the “Cross-Strait Agricultural Cooperation Forum”
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued the following three-point statement today (October 17, 2006) regarding the “Cross-Strait Agricultural Cooperation Forum” held by the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in Boao, Hainan Province:
1. The “Cross-Strait Agricultural Cooperation Forum” held today in China by the KMT and CPC produced a “four-point proposal,” “seven joint recommendations,” and “20 policy measures” that harp on the same old ideas without achieving any concrete breakthroughs. Among these proposals and measures, the major portions are those matters that the Chinese authorities should already have taken internal actions to make improvements. The forum outcome also shows that although Beijing has repeatedly declared its intentions to promote cross-strait agricultural exchanges and to protect the rights and interests of Taiwan's farmers, it has until now not made any necessary preparations or formulated a sound set of supporting measures to improve China's defective agricultural environment and system.
2. The results of previous forums involving exchanges between political parties of both sides across the Strait clearly indicate that this kind of forum is neither a normal nor an effective channel for handling cross-strait exchange issues. In the case of agricultural exchanges, for example, the Chinese authorities have unilaterally introduced several preferential measures for Taiwan's agricultural industry over the past year due to political considerations. However, the facts prove that these measures have not been conducive to facilitating Taiwan’s agricultural exports to China. On the contrary, they have had many negative repercussions.
First, Taiwan’s fruit exports to China amounted to only US$2.49 million in the first eight months of 2006, representing just 3.4 percent of total fruit exports. If fruit exports to Hong Kong are also included, the total is US$8.8 million, representing a slight increase of 13.3 percent as compared to the same period in 2005. This figure is much smaller than that of Taiwan’s exports to Japan and other areas. Moreover, China's move to promote Taiwan’s fruit sales in the mainland has resulted in an increasingly rampant problem of Chinese trademark infringement of renowned Taiwanese fruit, seriously undermining the short- and long-term interests of Taiwanese farmers.
Secondly, the Chinese authorities recently have been actively promoting the establishment of cross-strait agricultural cooperation pilot zones and business incubation parks for Taiwanese farmers. They have also been offering various preferential measures to attract Taiwanese farmers to invest in China, aggravating the illegal flow of Taiwan's superior agricultural species and advanced technology to China. Moreover, the re-export to Taiwan of Chinese products utilizing these species and technologies places Taiwan's agricultural products under attack both at home and in international markets. Obviously, this has impacted agricultural development in Taiwan and undermined the interests of Taiwanese farmers.
Thirdly, the problem of Chinese trademark infringement of Taiwan’s agricultural intellectual property right (IPR) has been deteriorating. The rampant trademark infringement cases occurring endlessly in China have seriously harmed the fundamental interests of Taiwanese farmers. They include: the malicious trademark squatting of Taiwanese agricultural products’ origin names, trademark forgery, and various illegal registration of Taiwan’s trademarks in China.
3. The negative impacts of the current expansion of cross-strait agricultural exchanges are becoming increasingly apparent. The most pressing task is to reestablish orderly cross-strait agricultural exchanges and to engage in negotiations on agricultural issues of mutual concern at the soonest time. On July 28, 2005, the Taiwanese government entrusted the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) to assist with liaison and arrangement of cross-strait negotiations with China on issues related to Taiwan’s agricultural exports to China and agricultural exchanges. However, the Chinese authorities have intentionally avoided and even boycotted such moves. As a result, cross-strait negotiations have not been able to smoothly develop, causing it not only impossible to completely resolve related issues, but also impossible to guarantee the rights and interests of Taiwanese farmers. The “seven joint recommendations” put forward at the KMT-CPC forum also touched on issues related to the maintenance of agricultural trade order and the IPR protection. We call on the Chinese authorities to stop making empty promises, to face up pragmatically to cross-strait realities, and to contact the TAITRA promptly to arrange bilateral negotiations. We also hope that the KMT and related civilian organizations can jointly urge the Chinese authorities to negotiate with the Taiwanese government on agricultural issues as soon as possible. This is aimed at achieving the joint goals of protecting the interests of Taiwan's agricultural industry and the rights of Taiwan's farmers through concrete actions.