Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's promise to give favorable treatment to Taiwan in negotiations over an Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) is a lie, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.
At a news conference in Beijing Sunday, Wen described Taiwan and China as "siblings" and said farmers and small businesses in Taiwan should not be harmed by ECFA.
The premier's statements met with skepticism from Taiwan's opposition yesterday.
"Government officials said that when Taiwan obtained lower tariffs from China, Beijing would demand the same, so if ECFA was mutually beneficial, then how could China give benefits?" DPP lawmaker Yeh Yi-jin wondered.
DPP legislator Su Chen-ching said that Taiwan and China should sit down as equals and condemned Wen's words to the effect that China should "take care" of its "brother" Taiwan.
If both sides were brothers, as Wen claimed, then why was China still pointing more than 1,000 missiles at Taiwan, the DPP lawmakers asked. Even if the two sides were brothers, China should not threaten force against Taiwan, and not hamper the development of its international relations, and not just open a narrow door to give some limited benefit, said DPP legislator William Lai.
Ruling Kuomintang lawmaker Lu Shiow-yen also questioned Wen's sincerity, demanding Taiwanese financial institutions receive treatment at least equal to Hong Kong companies under the territory's Closer Economic Partnership Agreement with China.
Her colleague Sun Ta-chien said Taiwanese negotiators should adapt their strategy and try to obtain even more benefits from the ECFA talks.
The second round of official ECFA talks was likely to take place in Taipei next week, reports said.
The administration of President Ma Ying-jeou wants to sign the trade accord in May or June, at the next meeting between the top envoys of the two sides.
Ma insists ECFA has no political dimension, but the opposition says it will harm Taiwan's sovereignty and affect its smaller enterprises and by flooding the market with cheap Chinese goods. The Taiwan Solidarity Union launched a campaign on Sunday to collect signatures for a referendum on the accord. The effort has the support of the DPP.
Source: Taiwan News 2010/03/16
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