What are the distinct characteristics of the ECFA? Will it touch on the issue of unification or independence?
A13. As its name implies, the Cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) will be an agreement that concerns economics. Since both Taiwan and Mainland China are WTO members, the agreement may not violate the spirit of the WTO. Meanwhile, it will be an agreement with distinctly cross-strait characteristics. Because the models of Hong Kong and Macao will not be adopted for the ECFA, the ECFA will not resemble the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPA) in effect between them and Mainland China. Neither will it be an ordinary free trade agreement (FTA). It will only regulate economic cooperation matters and not touch on sovereignty and unification or independence issues.
