With the news that China and South Korea have broadly agreed to sign a free-trade agreement (FTA) causing waves in Taiwan, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien (連勝文) challenged independent rival Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) to a one-on-one debate on the city’s economic issues.
At a press conference yesterday, Lien said that the impending agreement between China and South Korea would greatly harm Taiwanese interests.
Once the deal is in effect, the nation’s GDP will likely drop by 0.5 percent, equivalent to a loss of NT$59.5 billion (US$1.9 billion), while the domestic steel, equipment manufacturing, car sales and LCD industries would be at risk of being negatively affected, Lien predicted.
Lien said that Taipei will be greatly affected in terms of its digital commerce sector, network companies and banking industry, adding that the middle class and the younger generation would be the ones feeling the bite the most.
The KMT candidate said a Taipei mayor must help each sector of the local economy and ensure their stability, adding that if elected, he would ask all Taipei lawmkaers to appeal to the Legislative Yuan to swiftly pass legislation pertaining to cross-strait trade and economic affairs, presumably to counterbalance the effects of the Seoul-Beijing FTA.
The nation’s cities must also start signing economic cooperation agreements with their Asian counterparts, as this would enable Taiwanese cities to step up their cooperation with major Asian hubs, such as Shanghai, Tokyo and Bangkok, in the areas of tourism, information technology, culture and education.
Lien said that the upcoming elections on Nov. 29 are more than just a simple decision between himself and Ko, they are about deciding if the Republic of China can be one step ahead of South Korea.
He added that he wanted to debate with Ko on the issues surrounding the China-South Korea agreement, as well as on issues about Taipei’s finances and economy, adding that if Ko did not wish the debate to be a formal one, they could arrange for it to be held in a more relaxed setting with a casual format.
Lien said that he would leave the time and place up to Ko to decide should he choose to accept the invitation.
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