The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) refuted a report Monday that a trade pact signed between Taiwan and China is inferior to an arrangement between Hong Kong and China. The MAC said that to compare the cross-strait economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) inked in Chongqing on June 29 to the closer economic partnership arrangement (CEPA) between Hong Kong and China in 2003 is a 'self- denigrating' act. The MAC was responding to a local newspaper that quoted opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuan Bi-ling as saying Article 9 of the CEPA states that if the sharp increase of imports causes or threatens to cause serious injury to an industry, the affected side can give written notice and temporarily suspend concessions on imports of those products. The ECFA has no such safeguard mechanism, Kuan said, adding that it would take at least six months to terminate the pact. The MAC said that the safeguard mechanism applies to the full liberalization of goods between China and Hong Kong, while Taiwan's pact with China is only a framework agreement that does not include full liberalization of goods, so it is not comparable to the CEPA. The MAC also said the preface of the CEPA stipulates clearly that the Hong Kong special administrative region is subordinate to China, while the ECFA was inked under the basis of parity, a 'fundamental difference' of the two trade deals. 'The opposition's comparison of the ECFA and the CEPA is because it doesn't understand the spirit of the ECFA and has a self-denigrating mindset,' the MAC said. The MAC also said that a special commission to be formed for the implementation of the ECFA will be subject to the screening of the legislature, and will not undermine the supervision power of the legislature. There is no question of giving it a 'blank check' of authority, the MAC said. 