Hundreds of protesters yesterday started a sit-in outside the legislature, fueled by mounting anger over the government’s cross-strait policies and the expected passage of a controversial trade agreement with China later this week.
Waving green Taiwanese independence flags and signs emblazoned with the slogan “the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] is selling out Taiwan,” a dozen organizations filled the streets around the legislature, calling on lawmakers to reflect popular opinion and protect the nation’s sovereignty.
KMT lawmakers and the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) have failed to stand up for Taiwanese interests in the face of growing Chinese pressure, both economically and politically, demonstrators said.
“We don’t believe Ma’s remarks that only good things will come out of our interactions with China,” protester Chen Shu-chiong (陳淑瓊) said. “Taiwan will have to pay a price for these policies, sooner or later.”
The protest, organized by the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) and pro-independence groups, mostly targeted the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), which will be reviewed in an extraordinary legislative session starting today.
The KMT caucus said in a press conference yesterday it expected to pass the ECFA through a legislative vote tomorrow, setting the stage for the tariff-reducing agreement to come into effect early next year.
For the seventh time yesterday, the legislature voted down a Democratic Progressive Party sponsored bill that would have subjected the ECFA to a nationwide vote. Opposition parties have cited polls showing support for a referendum on the ECFA at more than 60 percent.
“This is an important national policy that will have an impact on employment and salaries, with political and economic implications. Why can’t we hold a referendum?” TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) asked. “By pretending not to be hearing the voice of the people, the government is taking the path to authoritarianism.”
Volunteers and staff from the TSU handed out petitions for a third attempt to hold an ECFA referendum. Two previous efforts were rejected by the Referendum Review Committee.
Shih Ya-fang (施雅芳), head of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance’s Tokyo chapter, said she was disappointed at the government’s decision to forsake a formal UN bid this year in favor of “meaningful” participation in its specialized agencies, adding that this was “belittling” to Taiwan.
Organizers said about 2,000 protesters were at the rally.
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