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.
LEVERAGE: China did not ‘need to fire a shot’ to deny Taiwan airspace over Africa when it owns ‘half the continent’s debt,’ a US official said, calling it economic warfare The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute. Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries. Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
China on Wednesday teased in a video an aircraft carrier that could be its fourth, and the first using nuclear power, while making an allusion to Taiwan and vowing to further build up its islands, as it looks to boost maritime power, secure resources and bolster territorial claims. The video, issued on the eve of the 77th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, featured fictional officers with names that are homophones of three commissioned aircraft carriers, the Liaoning (遼寧), Shandong (山東) and Fujian (福建). Titled Into the Deep, it showed a 19-year-old named “Hejian” (何劍) joining the group, sparking
Taiwan has signed six arms procurement offers from the US totaling more than NT$208 billion (US$6.59 billion) covering long-range precision strike systems, missile stockpile replenishment and joint production of large-caliber ammunition, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The government’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget has been stalled in the Legislative Yuan as opposition lawmakers question the amount and procurement items, while the Presidential Office and defense ministry say that the full amount is necessary to safeguard Taiwan. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on Monday briefed the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on the defense budget for
RSS