Taiwan and China failed to exchange their formal 'early harvest lists' Thursday at the end of the second round of talks on a proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) between the two sides. 'Although both sides screened listed items and exchanged industry information one by one, and reached consensus on most of the items, we did not exchange the `early harvest lists, '' Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Liang Kuo-shin told a news conference after the talks, which kicked off a day earlier at a resort in Taoyuan County near Taipei. The 'early harvest lists' refer to lists of goods and services that will enjoy preferential or zero tariffs in future cross-Taiwan Strait trade -- a critical part of the ECFA. 'In the talks, we tried to get what we wanted and keep what we wanted to keep, ' he said, adding that the Chinese side agreed not to include an opening of Chinese labor and more agricultural products on its 'early harvest list' so as not to impact Taiwan's small businesses. According to Liang, progress was made in this round of negotiations as the two sides forged common ground on the 'early harvest lists' and on the text of the planned ECFA, as well as on regulations on the labeling of product origin. 'Both agreed to make the most practical and professional arrangements by fully considering the characteristics of cross-strait trade,' he said. Huang Chih-peng, director-general of the Bureau of Foreign Trade and Taiwan's chief delegate at the talks, said both sides held comprehensive discussions and exchanged opinions on the listed items. He also urged China to consider allowing some Taiwanese agricultural and fishing exports to enter the Chinese market duty-free and the Chinese delegates promised to study the issue after returning home. The Taipei-based Straits Exchange Foundation, which organized the just-concluded talks along with its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, said both sides agreed to step up the pace in clinching an ECFA and to hold a third round of negotiations in China. The first round of talks was held in Beijing in January. Tang Wei, head of the Department of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau under China's Ministry of Commerce, who led the Chinese delegation at the negotiations, said that 'we have not reached a final agreement on the `early harvest program'' and that 'we will continue our discussions in the next round of negotiations.' 'The two sides have conducted negotiations on the opening of a small number of listed items and a few industries, ' he pointed out. But he added 'the situation between Taiwan and China means we are still far from practicing liberalized trade.' Echoing Liang's view, Tang, however, added that 'unlimited communication and exchanges of ideas have helped us forge common ground and make noticeable progress.' 'China will do its best to mitigate the impact of the ECFA on Taiwan's vulnerable industries and grassroots people,' he went on. 'We fully understand that the sizes and competitiveness of industries on both sides must be taken into account when negotiating the final `early harvest lists,'' he said. 