The government’s plan to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China will further improve cross-strait relations and put pressure on China to remove the missiles it aims at Taiwan, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said.
“We believe China will face mounting pressure from both Taiwan and the international community to handle the missiles, because no one will understand why China has missiles targeting Taiwan if it is doing business with us,” he said.
The Ma administration is expected to sign an ECFA with China next month. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has accused the government of selling out Taiwan in the face of widespread public concern about the impact of the economic pact on local businesses and workers.
Ma yesterday dismissed concerns that an ECFA would bring about Taiwan’s economic dependence on China, saying that his administration would always insist on Taiwan’s sovereignty.
“Taiwan and China are co-dependent in economic terms ... The government does not support de jure independence, but we will not talk about unification with China, either,” he said.
In response to an upcoming rally organized by the DPP to protest against the ECFA, Ma accused the DPP of making groundless accusations against his administration by saying that the trade deal is the first step toward ultimate unification.
“The government will try to lower the impact of the ECFA on local industries, but it is unreasonable for the opposition camp to claim that the pact is the first step toward unification,” Ma said.
In a mid-term assessment of his presidency, Ma went on to say that the improvement in cross-strait relations has had a positive impact on Taiwan’s relationship with the US, adding that the government is currently negotiating with the US on a new arms sale package to strengthen national defense.
The previous two US arms sale packages were planned 10 years ago. The Ministry of National Defense is now discussing a new list of weapons it wishes to procure from the US, he said.
“Taiwan will not engage in a competition of military force with China. We will seek arms procurement with the US to obtain self-defense weapons such as F-16C/D fighter jets, and enhance cooperation on national security,” the president said.
Taiwan has been requesting 66 fighters, an upgrade on its current stock of F-16A/Bs, since 2006, to replace its aging fleet of F-5s and French-made Mirage 2000-5s, which will become obsolete before 2025.
The F-16C/Ds, however, were not included as part of the US$6.4 billion (NT$201 billion) US arms sale package, including missiles, helicopters and ships, announced by US President Barack Obama in January.
China has expressed strong opposition to the inclusion of the fighters in future arms sales, which the US is required to provide under the Taiwan Relations Act.
Ma said the US understood Taiwan’s needs and it was assessing the procurement list including the F-16C/Ds, adding that the US arms purchases will enhance Taiwan’s national defense and boost national confidence when negotiating with China.
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