The Presidential Office yesterday hit back at critics — including former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) — who said on Saturday that an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) the government is seeking to sign with Beijing this year will undermine Taiwan’s competitiveness.
Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said the administration was more than happy to explain the trade pact to Lee, who expressed concern over what he called the government’s “China-friendly” policy. Lee also questioned China’s sincerity following its recent promises to help Taiwan sign free-trade agreements (FTA) with other countries if Taipei signs an ECFA, saying Beijing “never means what it says and will lie if that serves its purposes.”
Lo said the administration would proceed with the planned agreement on condition that the country needs it, the public supports it and the legislature supervises it.
Lo also repudiated remarks by former US diplomat John Tkacik, who warned that an ECFA would marginalize Taiwan economically and deal a blow to workers and farmers.
He said the administration respected Tkacik’s “personal view,” but that it was the former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration’s cross-strait policy that was the main culprit in Taiwan’s marginalization.
“We hope Mr Tkacik will first understand who is hurting Taiwan’s agriculture before he makes any comment,” Lo said.
Meanwhile, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) continued touting the proposed ECFA, asking the public to have faith that he would find a way out of Taiwan’s economic isolation.
Ma said if Taiwan continued to be excluded from other countries’ FTAs, it would run the risk of being isolated economically.
“I will do my best to work for the interest of Taiwan and seek a way out,” he said while promoting the proposed ECFA with Cabinet officials in Tainan County. “Please believe me.”
Ma said Taiwan has signed FTAs with five of its diplomatic allies in Latin America, but the combined trade volume is less than 0.2 percent of the country’s annual total.
“It will be more meaningful if we sign them with our major trading partners,” he said.
China is Taiwan’s largest export market, Ma said, accounting for 40 percent of the country’s total exports. It is followed by Japan, the US and Southeast Asian countries, he said.
However, each of these export markets has been shrinking, he said, mainly because Taiwan could not enjoy lower tariffs since it lacked FTAs with those countries.
Ma criticized underground radio stations for spreading rumors that he would allow the import of more Chinese agricultural products after he was elected president.
Since he took office in May 2008, Ma said he never agreed to allow more Chinese agricultural products into the local market but that instead the government had increased exports of Taiwan’s fruits to China two-fold, fresh vegetables eight-fold and bass four-fold. Among the 1,415 agricultural items allowed in from China, 936 were approved by the former DPP administration, he said.
Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) dismissed speculation that an ECFA would cause 280,000 farmers to lose their jobs, saying the estimate was made under the premise that the ban on 830 Chinese agricultural products would be lifted.
“If any of those items are allowed to come in on my watch, I will resign,” he said.
Taiwan yesterday denied Chinese allegations that its military was behind a cyberattack on a technology company in Guangzhou, after city authorities issued warrants for 20 suspects. The Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau earlier yesterday issued warrants for 20 people it identified as members of the Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM). The bureau alleged they were behind a May 20 cyberattack targeting the backend system of a self-service facility at the company. “ICEFCOM, under Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, directed the illegal attack,” the warrant says. The bureau placed a bounty of 10,000 yuan (US$1,392) on each of the 20 people named in
A Chinese aircraft carrier group entered Japan’s economic waters over the weekend, before exiting to conduct drills involving fighter jets, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said yesterday. The Liaoning aircraft carrier, two missile destroyers and one fast combat supply ship sailed about 300km southwest of Japan’s easternmost island of Minamitori on Saturday, a ministry statement said. It was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had entered that part of Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a ministry spokesman said. “We think the Chinese military is trying to improve its operational capability and ability to conduct operations in distant areas,” the spokesman said. China’s growing
The High Court yesterday found a New Taipei City woman guilty of charges related to helping Beijing secure surrender agreements from military service members. Lee Huei-hsin (李慧馨) was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), making illegal compacts with government employees and bribery, the court said. The verdict is final. Lee, the manager of a temple in the city’s Lujhou District (蘆洲), was accused of arranging for eight service members to make surrender pledges to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in exchange for money, the court said. The pledges, which required them to provide identification
Nine retired generals from Taiwan, Japan and the US have been invited to participate in a tabletop exercise hosted by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation tomorrow and Wednesday that simulates a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2030, the foundation said yesterday. The five retired Taiwanese generals would include retired admiral Lee Hsi-min (李喜明), joined by retired US Navy admiral Michael Mullen and former chief of staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces general Shigeru Iwasaki, it said. The simulation aims to offer strategic insights into regional security and peace in the Taiwan Strait, it added. Foundation chair Huang Huang-hsiung
RSS