[4] In May 2024, following the inauguration of Lai Ching-te, the PRC suspended preferential tariff arrangements on 134 items under the ECFA.

[8] The ECFA has been compared with the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangements mainland China signed with the Special Administrative Regions: Hong Kong and Macau.

The "early harvest" list of tariff concessions covers 539 Taiwanese products and 267 mainland Chinese goods.

During this time the delegates for China and Taiwan laid down the framework for the first round of ECFA talks[13] which took place on January 26, 2010, in Beijing.

Kao Koong-lian, secretary general and vice chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), led the 13 member Taiwanese delegation while Zheng Lizhong, Vice President of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), represented China's interests.

[22][23] ECFA was widely debated in Taiwan, in regards to potential effects on local Taiwanese businesses,[24] as well as on how the government has presented it to the public.

The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and other pro–independence groups believe that the free trade agreement is a "cover" for unification with China by "inextricably linking" the two economies.

[25][26] According to Jie Huang of China Review, it is a means to maintain peace in cross-Strait relations and "ultimately to reach the goal of reunification.

[31][32][33][34] The public opinion survey shows a majority of respondents opposed the signing of that package with China and many experts and politicians among protesters sees a referendum for this as essential.