Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (
"It has way too many flaws," Hsieh said. "Instead of explaining it more clearly, Ma ducks the questions and denies he ever proposed it."
Hsieh has proposed putting the common market proposal to a referendum and said that voters who supported the concept should vote for Ma and those opposing it should vote for him.
Hsieh made the remarks while discussing the common market concept with former DPP legislator Lin Cho-shui (
Hsieh said he is opposed to the "cross-strait common market" because a free flow of capital, labor and technology between Taiwan and China would undermine the local economy.
Hsieh said Ma asked Vincent Siew (
"Will the economy be better if Ma is president?" Hsieh asked.
Hsieh said that he did not think Ma knew how to tackle the problem of utility fees, while Hsieh said he acquired a full knowledge of it during his stint as premier.
Hsieh said he was against using further development and the investment of public funds to boost the economic growth rate because it would drive up commodity prices.
He is also against allowing Chinese investment in residential property because it would sabotage the supply and demand chain, he said. The country would pay a dear price if 10,000 Chinese tourists were allowed to visit Taiwan daily, he said.
To improve the economy, Hsieh said local industries must upgrade their technology and diversify their investments. His concept of economic prosperity would allocate resources more fairly, establish social justice and maintain the sustainable development of the environment, he said.
He would like to see the unemployed get jobs, commodity prices remain stable, less debt and lower housing costs. He also proposed cutting taxes, reducing inheritance and gift taxes and decreasing the corporate income tax rate.
To lure Chinese investment back, Hsieh said he proposed granting an amnesty to China-based Taiwanese businesspeople so that they could transfer their capital back home.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese