The DPP has accused the government of President Ma Ying-jeou of trying to evade democratic supervision of his plans for the pact, which the opposition says will harm Taiwan’s sovereignty.

DPP caucus whip Lee Chun-yee rejected arguments by the ruling Kuomintang Tuesday that the new taskforce would overlap with existing committees at the Legislative Yuan.

He described the powers of the existing legislative committees as inadequate, adding that without a new body, it would be difficult to oversee ECFA.

The government has already turned down DPP requests for a national referendum on the accord, saying there was no need for a vote because ECFA would not affect Taiwan’s sovereignty.

At a news conference about ECFA Tuesday afternoon, Ma said discussion was possible on the issue but the name and official position of the taskforce still had to be agreed on. He emphasized the need to conform to the Constitution.

He only said that he would hold regular news conferences about his ECFA plans, and that representatives from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Mainland Affairs Council would deliver frequent reports to the Legislative Yuan.

Ma rejected suggestions that each clause in the accord should first receive the approval of the Legislature before it could be signed by both sides. Only the final version of the agreement would be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review, he said.

The first rounds of ECFA negotiations between Taiwan and China took place last month, and a second round is expected later this month or early March.

The government has said it would like to sign the agreement before the middle of the year, preferably at the next round of high-level cross-straits talks, expected to take place in China next May.

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng will reportedly discuss the formation of a special taskforce with representatives of the various party caucuses Wednesday.