One day after agreeing to hold a debate on a proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China, the Presidential Office yesterday traded barbs with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on whether President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should step down if the government failed to hold a referendum on the issue.
Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said most of the 200 free-trade agreements (FTAs) that had been inked around the world did not go through a national referendum before being signed, and the former DPP administration did not hold referendums, either, when signing FTAs with allies at the time.
“Isn't it a double standard asking the government to hold a referendum now because we are signing a cross-strait economic agreement?” he said yesterday in response to DPP Secretary-General Su Jia-chyuan's (蘇嘉全) comments that the Ma administration should step down if it failed to hold a referendum on an ECFA.
The Ma administration is pushing hard for the signing of an ECFA with China, which it said would prevent Taiwan from being marginalized amid regional economic development. Critics, including the DPP, however, oppose the planned trade pact amid fears it would jeopardize Taiwan's sovereignty, make it too economically dependent on China and lead to an influx of Chinese capital and goods.
Su and Secretary-General of the Presidential Office Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) agreed on Thursday to set up a debate between DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Ma on a proposed ECFA before the end of the month. The debate is one of the DPP's key demands on inking the pact. The party is also pushing for a referendum and more legislative oversight on the agreement before it is signed.
Lo yesterday said the DPP should understand the importance of an ECFA to Taiwan's economic development and should offer alternative solutions or other constructive comments if it opposed the government's plan to sign the pact with China.
“The DPP should not oppose [an ECFA] for no reason and keep the nation marginalized. Isolating Taiwan from the world will only harm the nation's economy,” he said.
The DPP yesterday dismissed Lo's allegation that the party has a double standard.
Saying that China is hostile to Taiwan and has more than 1,000 missiles targeted at Taiwan, DPP spokesman Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) said: “How could the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) compare China with other countries [that signed FTAs with Taiwan]?”
Lin said Su had made it clear in a press conference on Thursday that if Ma did not respond to calls for a referendum but chose to go against public opinion and forge ahead with the signing of an ECFA, Taiwanese would use their voices to force the KMT to step down.
To prepare for the debate with Ma on an ECFA, the DPP set up a task force yesterday.
“We will begin operations next week by seeking opinions from academics and experts on China affairs, as well as commercial and industrial leaders,” DPP spokesman Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said, adding that he would meet Lo and Public Television Service chairman Cheng Tung-liao (鄭同僚) next week to hammer out the details of the debate.
KMT Spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) said his party would be well-prepared to debate on issues related to an ECFA with the DPP, urging the opposition to refrain from shifting the focus of the debate to a referendum.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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