Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) vowed yesterday that the government would be cautious in pursuing an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China, amid US warnings that Beijing has continued building its military deployment against Taiwan.
Liu made the remarks on the legislative floor while fielding questions from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator William Lai (賴清德), who asked the premier whether the government would rethink its plan to sign an ECFA with China given the Pentagon's latest report showing that China had deployed one-third of its ground troops along its coastline.
The possibility of signing an ECFA with Beijing has been fiercely debated in recent weeks, with critics saying it would make Taiwan too economically dependent on China.
Liu said the government would never relax its defense capability even though the government had been pursuing economic cooperation with China.
“Information like this would only make us more cautious,” he said.
“On the one hand, we would like to develop our economy [by strengthening cross-strait cooperation],” he said. “On the other hand, we also have to have the capability to defend ourselves.”
The Pentagon on Wednesday released its latest annual report to Congress on China's military, suggesting that Beijing had not changed its military dispositions opposite Taiwan and had deployed 440,000 ground troops along its coastline.
“Although Beijing professes a desire for peaceful unification that would allow Taiwan to retain a high degree of autonomy, the PLA's [People's Liberation Army's] deployment of short-range ballistic missiles, enhanced amphibious warfare capabilities and modern, advanced long-range anti-air systems across the strait from Taiwan underscores that Beijing remains unwilling to renounce the use of force,” the report said.
Lai said yesterday that the US report was proof that China remained hostile toward Taiwan despite the government's efforts to pursue cross-strait peace.
Speaking at the legislature's state affairs forum earlier yesterday, DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said that the Pentagon's report showed that “no matter how many times [President] Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) belittles himself, he will never be able to change China nor persuade China to give up taking Taiwan by force.”
But Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Shuai Hua-ming (帥化民), one of the two committee heads of the legislature's Foreign and National Defense Committee, said it would be wrong to assume that Chinese military deployment was solely aimed at Taiwan.
Shuai said Taiwan was not the only perceived enemy of China, adding that the deployment was meant to deter the US from interfering in Asian affairs.
KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方), who is also a member of the committee, said there was no need for people to “make a mountain out of a molehill” because Ma had been doing his best to improve cross-strait relations.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
Also See: HK unionist warns against ECFA
Also See: Adviser pans government on ECFA
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS