Nearly 30 lawmakers yesterday established a cross-strait trade association, which is hoped will help Taiwan businesspeople in China
High ranking officials joined the opening ceremony yesterday, including Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
The new group was also given an official blessing by Beijing's top negotiating body. Lee Ya-fei (李亞飛), the deputy president of the Association for Relations Across the Straits (ARATS), sent flowers and a congratulatory letter.
But praise from ARATS aside, the establishment of the "Cross-Strait Economy and Trade Association" means little to businessmen in China, heads of investment associations in China said yesterday.
"There are too many associations like this, and I don't know whether they really want to help us or just to use us as a political bargaining chip," said Shu Chun-ta (
Non-official cross-strait associations' establishments have been growing more and more popular with the Legislator Yuan.
Just last month New Party Legislator Chang Shih-liang (張世良) and 12 of his colleagues established the "Cross-Strait Cooperation and Development Foundation."
New Party Legislator Cheng Long-shui (鄭龍水) and the KMT's Hwang Mu-tien (黃木添), along with three other legislators, formed three other cross-strait groups.
Ho Hsi-hao (
"The establishment of these associations is all about elections. The Communist Party gives us rights and interests. What can they do for us?" Ho said. "Are we helping them or are they helping us?"
Jiang Yen-hsiung (
"They all have their own interests to look after," he said.
Reacting to Taiwan businessmen's comments, Deng Chen-chung (
"It takes time to prove whether an association is effective or helpful," Deng said.
Wang Jin-pyng (
"With this organization we'll be able to kill two birds with one stone," Wang said.
The association's president, Ho Chih-hui (何智輝), got the idea to form the group from the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council.
The association plans to set up bureaus in Beijing, Shanghai, Shengzhen, Guangzhou, Qingdao, and Xiamen.
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