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Home The News News Premier Wu rejects invitation to debate ECFA at NTU forum

Premier Wu rejects invitation to debate ECFA at NTU forum

Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday rejected an invitation from students to hold a debate on the government’s plan to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China, saying he was busy and “does not understand the details as well as” the economics minister.

A group of students from National Taiwan University, National Taiwan Normal University and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology called a press conference on Monday asking Wu to explain the content of the ECFA and its impact on students at an NTU forum on Dec. 26 and Dec. 27.

Approached by reporters, Wu said that Minister of Economic Affairs (MOEA) Shih Yen-shiang (施顏祥) would deliver a speech at the forum and discuss the issue with students.

“There are two reasons [why I turned down the invitation]: I am scheduled to attend a ground-breaking ceremony for the fourth-stage expansion of the Central Taiwan Science Park on Dec. 26 in Erlin Township [二林], Changhua County and to go south on Dec. 27,” Wu said.

Wu also said he knew less about the details of the ECFA than Shih does.

“[Shih] is the most suitable person. The MOEA is in charge of the matter and he is familiar with the whole subject. If students have any questions, he has the professional knowledge to answer them,” Wu said.

He also said officials with the MOEA, the Council of Labor Affairs and the Council for Economic Planning and Development briefed him yesterday during lunch on supplementary measures that must be adopted if Taiwan signs free trade agreements with more countries following an ECFA.

Wu said he would answer questions from lawmakers if the legislature held any sessions on the issue as the premier is responsible to the legislature.

Source: Taipei Times 2009/12/17



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Newsflash

A number of Western governments, with the US in the lead, protested to the UN in 2007 to force the global body and its secretary-general to stop using the reference “Taiwan is a part of China,” a cable recently released by WikiLeaks shows.

The confidential cable, sent by the US’ UN mission in New York in August 2007, said that after returning from a trip abroad, UN -Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had met then-US ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad to discuss a range of issues, including “UN language on the status of Taiwan.”

“Ban said he realized he had gone too far in his recent public statements, and confirmed that the UN would no longer use the phrase ‘Taiwan is a part of China,’” said the cable, which was sent to the US Department of State and various US embassies worldwide.