Why does Taiwan not first sign an FTA agreement with ASEAN?
A11. The decision-making mechanism of ASEAN requires the consensus approval of all ASEAN members, which means that opposition from only one country would make a Taiwan-ASEAN FTA impossible. Our country is limited by international reality, so we are having difficulty making any arrangements with ASEAN. At present, besides planning to sign relevant economic agreements with the Mainland, the government is also actively promoting the signing of free trade agreements (FTAs) with important trading partners. It is adopting this two-track approach with the hope of being able to improve our overall competitiveness in foreign trade. That is, apart from Mainland China, we are simultaneously directing our efforts at ASEAN and other countries.
