Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Ma, China unite against independence

Taipei Times Editorial

It is nothing new to see Chinese media outlets producing dubious coverage of issues related to Taiwan and providing nothing to back up their claims — and the coverage of the talks between US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) at the APEC summit last week was no exception. What is surprising is that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) rushed to back reports only run by Chinese media by saying that Obama had told Xi the US does not support Taiwanese independence, despite Washington making no mention of that in its statements about the talks.

Sensing the good within the KMT

Paul Lin 林保華

Following the debate between Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien (連勝文) and independent candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), the gap in support for the two men has grown. Apparently, the Lien family’s strategy of galvanizing its traditional core base by playing on pan-blue versus pan-green tensions has failed.

Polls have consistently placed Lien’s support rate at 30 percent or below. This is his core support base. It would make more sense for them to attract floating votes of the light-blue persuasion or the moderate swing vote. Trying to buy up voters with policy issues or instil a sense of crisis is no longer effective and could cause an even stronger counter-reaction.

Groups tell government to stop FTA scare tactics

Taipei Times

Members of the Economic Democracy Union and other civic organizations raise their fists at a press conference in Taipei yesterday at which they accused the government of exaggerating the potential impact of the free-trade agreement between China and South Korea to force through cross-strait trade pacts.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times

Several civic groups yesterday accused the government of exaggerating the potential impact of an impending free-trade agreement (FTA) between China and South Korea after the two countries’ leaders concluded talks on the accord at the APEC summit on Monday.

While the Presidential Office has said the agreement would allow South Korea to further outpace Taiwan in key economic sectors, critics say the government is overstating the impact of the treaty to force the passage of several cross-strait trade agreements and related legislation.

Canadian lessons on Chinese links

Robert Henderson

During the September 2012 APEC Summit in Vladivostok, Russia, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and then-Chinese president Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) signed an investment treaty.

Formerly known as a foreign investment promotion and protection agreement, Harper tabled the agreement before the Canadian parliament for discussion on Sept. 26, 2012. Such trade deals do not require Canadian parliamentary approval and can be ratified by a Canadian Cabinet order-in-council, as it is a matter of national sovereignty.

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