President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday slammed the cross-strait economic policy proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), saying it not only denigrates the nation's sovereignty but also represents an overt attempt to curry favor with Beijing.
"I am sorry to see some people harbor the wrong-headed `one China' ideology and vigorously trumpet the concept of a cross-strait common market," he said during a speech at the Asia Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce's annual conference in Taipei yesterday morning.
Saying that the proposal would downgrade the nation's status to that of an outlying economic zone of China, Chen said it served a certain party's and individual's "greater China ideology" and ignored the interest and welfare of Taiwanese.
"It is unfathomable and distressing to see such people lean toward China and try to curry favor with them," he said.
"The cross-strait common market is the `one China market' and the first step to ultimate unification with China. The economic `one China' is the venomous coating of a `political one China.' As soon as Taiwan's economic lifeline is thoroughly controlled by China, Taiwan will very likely become a second Hong Kong," Chen said.
Citing Hong Kong as an example, Chen said that during the negotiation process with Britain, China was able to make endless demands regarding the sovereignty of the territory because China had complete control of Hong Kong's economic lifeline.
Had the British government not met Beijing's demands, Chen said, Hong Kong's daily supplies would have been cut off.
With the economy controlled by China, political annexation would soon follow, Chen said.
The 23 Taiwanese must learn a lesson from the 8 million people of Hong Kong who have lived a miserable life over the past decade, who found themselves like birds in a cage, he said.
"We must never repeat the same disastrous mistake and let Beijing capitalize on China-based Taiwanese businesspeople to force the government to unite with China and hand over the nation's sovereignty to the authoritarian regime in Beijing," he said.
At the same setting, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
"He who does not have faith in Taiwan is not fit to lead the country," Chang said.
With the stock market passing the 9,000 point mark and on its way to 10,000, Chang urged the public to have faith in the economy.
Siew, who spoke after Chang, said he agreed with Chang that the public must have faith in Taiwan.
He added, however, that faith is not a slogan but rather the responsibility of the country's leaders.
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