President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is willing to explain the cross-strait service trade agreement and debate the issue with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said yesterday.
KMT Culture and Communication Committee director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said Ma, who doubles as KMT chairman, would defend the agreement if a debate were held.
Hsiao said Su and the DPP were “flip-flopping” on whether Su would join such a debate.
“The DPP originally refused to debate the issue, but changed its position overnight and challenged Chairman Ma to participate in the debate. Who is afraid of letting the public learn the truth about the agreement?” he asked.
Discussion about a potential debate on the agreement has surfaced again following the latest survey released by the Chinese-language China Times yesterday, which showed that 63 percent of respondents agreed that Ma and Su should hold a debate over the recently-inked service pact.
Of those respondents who do not support the signing of the agreement, 85 percent said a debate on the agreement should be held, while 75 percent of those who support the service deal also said they wanted to see the leaders of the two parties debate the issue, according to the poll.
Hsiao said the government’s administrative branch has been explaining the contents of the agreement and its ramifications to the public, adding that Ma is willing to accept an invitation to attend a debate on the issue and provide transparent information about the pact to address public concerns.
The survey was conducted on Tuesday and had 1,303 respondents. More than 40 percent of those polled said they do not know about the agreement. Of the 57 percent who said they knew of the signing of the pact, only 27 percent said they know what it is about.
The cross-strait service trade agreement, which was signed in June in Shanghai, is a follow-up to the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) which was inked in June 2010.
If ratified, the pact would open 64 of Taiwan’s service sub-sectors to Chinese investment, while China would open 80 sub-sectors to Taiwanese firms.
The Taiwanese sub-sectors include transportation, tourism and traditional Chinese medicine, while China would open up its finance, retail, electronics, publishing and travel sub-sectors.
Asked yesterday whether he was willing to participate in such a debate, Su agreed without hesitation.
“Many people are not aware of the service trade pact because of the agreement’s opaque nature. A public debate is a good thing as it helps people to understand more about an agreement that is going to affect their livelihoods,” Su said.
DPP caucus convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said he also recognized the importance of such a debate, adding that it would be helpful to the legislature’s screening and voting on the pact.
Additional reporting by Chris Wang
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS