Taiwanese ire at looming free trade with China
Press TV | Sun, 20 Dec 2009
Taiwanese ire at looming free trade with China
Thousands of protesters have swarmed the streets of the central Taiwanese town of Taichung, promoting resistance against pending trade relations with China.
Rallied by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the people on Sunday took up the cudgels on behalf of a China-independent economy, Reuters reported. The party holds that Sino-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou could be putting the island’s independence in jeopardy by improving relations with Beijing.
The demonstrators numbered up to 100,000, according to the organizers.
They singled out for criticism, among other things, the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) set to be discussed between Taiwanese and Chinese negotiators P.K. Chiang and Chen Yunlin on Tuesday.
Some say, the deal aimed at free trade, could open the floodgates of Chinese imports, thus resulting in an employment crisis in Taiwan.
"We’re opposed to the secret meeting, the non-transparent meeting between China and Taiwan, because it could bring steep losses to Taiwan… We could take a big hit," said one demonstrator.
"Ma Ying-jeou, our president, wants to sign ECFA but hasn’t received public approval for it…We’re worried he will sell us out," told another on the pact due to be inked next year.
The China-Taiwan relations overshadow all other political issues on the island. Beijing insists that reunification with Taipei is just a question of time, even though the island has governed itself for 60 years.
