President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said the economic pact his administration plans to sign with Beijing does not require a referendum because it steers clear of politics and concerns only economic issues.
In an interview with the Taipei Times in February, Ma ruled out holding a referendum on the issue, saying it would be time-consuming and expensive.
Ma said yesterday that China has signed agreements similar to an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with ASEAN countries that do not concern sovereignty.
Ma said the ECFA would cover tariffs, trade, investment and settlement of disputes, but the topics could change during the negotiations.
“It is impossible for us to publish a draft agreement now for public debate, but that is the direction to go,” he said. “I hope the public will understand the pact does not involve sovereignty or politics. It is just an economic agreement.”
Ma made the remarks during a news conference on the eve of his first anniversary in office.
Ma promised to listen to the public and strengthen dialogue with the opposition, urging them to work with his administration.
“Taiwan is small. We cannot afford division or confrontation,” he said.
“I don’t expect the opposition to listen to us, but we can seek a consensus, especially on foreign or cross-strait issues. If we are on the same page, we will have more leverage at the negotiating table,” he said.
Ma welcomed the eight initiatives proposed by China, including encouraging Chinese businesses to invest in Taiwan and vice versa.
He was happy to see any development conducive to economic development in the Taiwan Strait, Ma said.
Ma said it would take time to complete the ECFA deal because of its complexity.
He also said the government would investigate the reasons for the country’s drop in its global competitiveness ranking and make an effort to improve the ranking.
Taiwan’s overall competitiveness slipped 10 places from 13 to 23 in this year’s International Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Competitiveness Yearbook.
Ma said he expected to see the unemployment rate go up next month or in July because of the influx of new graduates onto the job market, but there would be “remarkable improvement” in the third or fourth quarter.
He empathized with the people’s plight, but the economy was near bottom and it would take time to spring back, he said.
He vowed to develop six niche industries: biotechnology, tourism, medical care, sophisticated agriculture, cultural creativity and green energy.
The government’s goal was to build the country into an innovation center, a trade hub in the Asia-Pacific region and an operations headquarters for Taiwanese merchants, he said.
The president pledged to push for judicial reform, but emphasized that he would not meddle in the judiciary.
He also promised to fight corruption and build a clean government, urging Cabinet ministers and other top officials to lead by example.
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