Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday expressed concern that the highly anticipated debate between President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on a proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) would turn out to be a mere political show.
Lu said the debate between Ma and Tsai should have taken place long before Taiwan and China embarked on rounds of negotiations on the proposed trade pact.
That said, “it's still better there's a debate [on an ECFA] than none,” Lu said on the sidelines of a memorial service for DPP Legislator Tien Chiu-chin's (田秋堇) father, Tien Chao-ming (田朝明), a human rights attorney.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES
Presidential Office spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) and DPP spokesman Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) on Thursday told a joint press conference that Ma and Tsai Ing-wen would hold a debate on issues regarding the contentious ECFA before the end of the month.
The latest ECFA talks between China and Taiwan wrapped up on Thursday in Taoyuan County, with the two sides agreeing that no agricultural items that Taiwan does not presently import from China would be included on the pact's “early harvest” list.
The two sides also reached a consensus that Beijing would not ask Taipei to open its doors to Chinese workers.
Saying that Taiwan and China have already completed the basic framework on the planned trade pact the Ma administration hopes to ink with Beijing, Lu yesterday asked if Ma lost the debate, “would the [Ma administration's] negotiations on an ECFA [with China] continue?”
A precondition should therefore be set for the Ma-Tsai debate, Lu said.
She added that she was also concerned the Ma-Tsai debate would turn out to be a political show between the two ahead of the 2012 presidential election.
When asked for comment, Tsai, who was also at the memorial service, said “having a debate is better than none as there are too many doubts surrounding the ECFA.”
The DPP hoped that through a debate on the ECFA, it would enable issues concerning the pact to be handled with more transparency, she said.
Tsai dismissed her scheduled debate with the president as a “pre-battle” with Ma ahead of the 2012 presidential election.
“All political-related speculations are irrelevant,” she said.
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