Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday said he would step down if an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) the government plans to sign with Beijing includes the word “unification.”
Wu also said he believed a scenario in which the two sides of the Strait sign an ECFA based on the premise of “unification” would not take place.
Wu made the comments during the question-and-answer session on the legislative floor in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安).
Pan asked Wu to comment on remarks made by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) at the opening of the annual session of China’s National People’s Congress.
In his address, Wen called for completion of the trade agreement, which he said would be mutually beneficial. Wen said the Chinese government would continue developing cross-strait relations to realize the ultimate goal of peaceful national unification and that striking an ECFA deal with Taiwan was a priority.
Wu yesterday said cross-strait relations should adhere to the road of “peaceful development,” but added that “it is impossible” to connect the ECFA to “unification.”
“That won’t happen,” Wu said.
When asked how the government would react if Beijing proposed unification during the negotiations, Wu said that “the other side of the Strait could express its wish, but we will stick to our position. They are two different things.”
The administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) hopes to have the trade pact signed in the fifth round of talks between Taiwan and China, planned to be held later this year.
Last week, Wu said Taiwan would “drown” if it failed to sign the pact amid formidable competition from rivals in the region, but critics said it would make Taiwan too economically dependent on China and that the agreement would jeopardize Taiwan’s sovereignty.
In an effort to drum up public support for the trade pact, the government has mobilized officials at various levels to strengthen communication with grassroots leaders and local communities.
As part of the government’s efforts to explain the policy to the public, Ma yesterday evening held a grassroots forum in Taipei that was to be the first in a series.
In addition to explaining the meaning and benefits of the ECFA, the Mainland Affairs Council’s ECFA promoters will also introduce complementary measures that the government will take to offset any potential adverse impact of the agreement, the council said.
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
RSS