Lai: Taiwan is free from China factor over FTAs
Taiwan News
Lai: Taiwan is free from China factor over FTAs
By Sherlock Ho, Agencies
23 January 2010
Lai Hsingyuan, minister of Mainland Affairs Counsel, noted surprisingly yesterday that ECFA and FTA with other countries are totally different things, and she hadn’t noticed any disturbance from China over the last 20 months.
President Ma also quoted reports claiming that Wang Yi, director of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, agrees signing of FTAs between Taiwan and other countries, which is instantly denied by China, reports Liberty Times.
The fact is China has always been the main impediment obstructing the development of Taiwan foreign relations. When DPP took the helm, FTAs with some ASEAN countries were almost completed. However, China’s intimating oppositoin daunted these countries from further cooperation with Taiwan. Ma also agrees that the sovereignity meaning behind FTA is the main reason.
After President Ma took office, has Beijing changed its course over policy toward Taiwan?
Hu Jintao has set the tone in his famous "6 points of Hu." And it says " To establish closer cross-strait economic cooperation, we should base economic cooperation mechanism of Asia Pacific area on joint development of cross-strait economy.
"Cross-strait first, and then Asia Pacific" is easily seen. And China has never proved Taiwan’s role in regional economic integration.
One China principle is always the longstanding compass that directs its policy toward Taiwan. Even for economic affairs, China also stresses the prerequisite of cross-strait economic cooperation, let alone politics. The truth is, as it seems, what will it be like after the universal economic cooperation?
China commerce officials have always emphasized that the sovereignity essence of FTA between Taiwan and other countries is not allowed for China. The seeming peaceful days over these controversial issues do not mean China has changed its course. The reason is instead of FTA, ECFA is what Ma Administration is stressing now. And that is an unspeakable truth.
