The proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) between Taiwan and China would pave the way for eventual unification, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators said yesterday, adding that the agreement would be “more political than economic.”
The comments followed Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s (溫家寶) speech to the National People’s Congress on Sunday, in which he attempted to calm fears that the controversial pact would flood Taiwan with cheap Chinese imports and cost thousands of farmers and workers their jobs.
Wen said China would “let the people of Taiwan benefit” from tariff concessions and early harvest programs, adding that “relevant arrangements” in the trade pact would help reassure Taiwanese farmers.
However, DPP lawmakers questioned Wen’s sincerity and said it was unlikely that Taiwan would be able to reap any benefits from the trade pact, either economically or politically.
DPP Legislator William Lai (賴清德) called Wen’s comments lies.
“If one of the main principles of the trade pact is for both parties to be treated as equals, how does saying this even make sense?” he said.
“This shows that his comments are basically a smokescreen for [China’s] unification goal,” Lai said.
“Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang [施顏祥] has been more honest, saying that if China gives Taiwan benefits including tariff concessions, it would only be a matter of time before it asks for the same in return,” DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) said.
Government officials maintain that signing the pact would open the way for Taiwan to sign free-trade agreements (FTAs) with other countries and increase the nation’s economic competitiveness.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said on Sunday that Taiwan risked becoming an “international orphan,” adding that the absence of FTAs with major economies was contributing to the nation’s economic isolation.
However, Lai said the main reason the nation did not manage to sign FTAs with other major economies was China, which has repeatedly blocked other countries from signing agreements with Taiwan.
“Who is causing Taiwan’s current problems in international relations?” Lai asked. “It is all the result of China’s actions. What Beijing is doing is destroying Taiwan’s international space and pushing it [to accept] the ECFA proposal.”
Meanwhile, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus praised Wen, saying his remarks showed that China “completely” understood the feelings of Taiwanese farmers.
KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池) told a press conference at the legislature that the government promised not to open the local market to more Chinese produce if an ECFA was inked.
Lin said the KMT caucus would carry out its gatekeeping duties once the ECFA was signed, adding that Taiwan could lose its competitive edge if it failed to sign the pact.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG
Also See: EDITORIAL : ECFA requires more than ‘belief’
Also See: Banks eye preferential status in China
DEATH THREAT: A MAC official said that it has urged Beijing to avoid creating barriers that would impede exchanges across the Strait, but it continues to do so People should avoid unnecessary travel to China after Beijing issued 22 guidelines allowing its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death “Taiwan independence separatists,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday as it raised its travel alert for China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to “orange.” The guidelines published last week “severely threaten the personal safety of Taiwanese traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a news conference in Taipei. “Following a comprehensive assessment, the government considers it necessary to elevate the travel alert to orange from yellow,” Liang said. Beijing has
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military