Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang said the Office of the President is pleased that mainland China has not interfered in discussions between Taiwan and Singapore on signing an economic cooperation agreement. Spokesman Lo issued a three-point statement in this regard:
1. Mainland China has shown respect for Taiwan's right under the WTO framework to seek an economic cooperation agreement with Singapore, and has not interfered in this process. This is pragmatic and corresponds to the interests of Taiwan. The Office of the President applauds this stance.
2. Mainland China previously said it would adopt a pragmatic and reasonable attitude with regard to Taiwan signing free trade agreements or economic cooperation agreements with other nations. During recent talks between Taiwan and Singapore on an economic cooperation agreement, mainland China has taken active steps to signal respect for the process. Embracing such attitude is certain to foster the development of peace and shared prosperity in the cross-strait relationship.
3. External trade is the lifeblood of Taiwan's economy. In the future, Taiwan will continue to pursue similar economic cooperation agreements with other trading partners under the framework of the WTO so as to further participate in regional economic integration and boost its economic competitiveness.