Taipei, Oct. 7 (CNA) Canada is trying to facilitate stronger business exchanges with Taiwan through a "block-building" process and to take advantage of the favorable environment following the signing of a cross-Taiwan Strait trade pact, Canada's representative in Taiwan said Thursday.
Canada has "re-positioned Taiwan as an ideal partner in light of the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) , " said Scott Fraser, Executive Director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT), the North American country's representative office in Taiwan.
With direct flights and liberalized trade across the Taiwan Strait, "a lot of people are taking a second look at Taiwan's regional relevancy... (the ECFA) certainly makes Taiwan a much more attractive investment location for Canadian companies and a good base for doing business with China, " Fraser said at a media briefing.
Responding to a reporter's question about the possibility of a free trade agreement (FTA) between Canada and Taiwan, Fraser said neither side has ever raised the issue. He added, though, that Canada is pursuing FTAs with several other countries, including the European Union, South Korea and Singapore.
Speaking on the issue of visa-free privileges for Taiwanese entering Canada, he said that "consultations in Canada are still continuing and we hope a final decision will be made fairly soon." He also noted that the issue is not linked to Taiwan's ban on imports of Canadian beef.
In terms of the beef ban, Fraser said that since the Canadian authorities have provided data and scientific evidence that guarantees the safety of the beef, his office does not understand the ban.
He said Canada hopes to foster closer collaboration with Taiwan, particularly on energy, which could help reduce Taiwan's dependence on foreign energy imports.
Fraser added that Canada also hopes to see positive results on negotiations for avoidance of double taxation and for customs cooperation. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J