The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will hold a mass rally in Taichung City on Dec. 20 to protest against the fourth round of negotiations between Taiwan and China, DPP officials said yesterday.
The fourth round of talks between Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) will take place in Taichung next month. The government has yet to announce the exact date and venue for the meeting.
The DPP said the protest would allow people to express their views about the government’s plans to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China.
The DPP said the protest will serve to express disapproval against the “closed door” style of negotiations adopted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party since President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) came to power last year.
Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), a senior DPP official, said that as the largest opposition party in Taiwan, the DPP must demonstrate the full force of Taiwanese people’s opposition to an ECFA.
Chen said the details of the protest — such as its size and location, would be decided after the Dec. 5 local government elections. The elections are seen as a gauge of public opinion about the ruling party’s and Ma’s policies to promote closer ties with China.
Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), another DPP official, said that as signing an ECFA would hurt various industries and groups in Taiwan, the DPP should make it an international issue and let the international community understand there is a different point of view on the matter.
Supporters of an ECFA, including Ma, have said it is necessary to ensure Taiwan does not lose out as China forms free-trade pacts with other countries.
Earlier this month, Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) said the government would take all necessary security measures to make sure that the SEF-ARATS negotiations are held without disruption.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
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