RELATIONS between Taiwan and China may be better than at any time since Nationalist forces routed in China’s civil war fled for Taiwan in 1949. But not everyone is cheering. Chen Yunlin, China’s most senior Taiwan negotiator, visited Taichung in central Taiwan in December to sign three technical accords (covering co-operation on fishing, industrial standards and the quarantine of agricultural products). But public support in Taiwan for President Ma Ying-jeou’s China-friendly policies seems to be eroding.
The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) claimed 100,000 people had joined its protest rally on December 20th. (The police estimated 30,000.) They condemned the pact the government wants to sign with China, formally known as the Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement, or ECFA, saying it would cause thousands of job losses and lead to an influx of cheap Chinese goods. Mr Chen was dogged by protesters, albeit in far smaller numbers than on his first visit in November 2008. In the worst scuffle, a policeman was badly hurt and six people detained.
Mr Chen and his Taiwanese counterpart, Chiang Pin-kun, agreed they would negotiate ECFA at a summit in China in the first half of 2010. Mr Ma hopes it will be signed then, but Chinese negotiators would not promise this.
ECFA is the cornerstone of Mr Ma’s cross-strait policies but he has provided scant details. It is born out of his fear that Taiwan, already ravaged by the financial crisis, will be marginalised as a free-trade pact between China and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) takes effect this January. China puts pressure on other countries not to sign free-trade agreements with Taiwan. Mr Ma hopes that will change once Taiwan and China have their agreement, although there are no guarantees. Singapore is expected to be first.
Even disregarding other markets, however, China’s are attractive enough. Taiwan’s exports face tariffs ranging from 5% to 15% in China….
RELATIONS between Taiwan and China may be better than at any time since Nationalist forces routed in China’s civil war fled for Taiwan in 1949. But not everyone is cheering. Chen Yunlin, China’s most senior Taiwan negotiator, visited Taichung in central Taiwan in December to sign three technical accords (covering co-operation on fishing, industrial standards and the quarantine of agricultural products). But public support in Taiwan for President Ma Ying-jeou’s China-friendly policies seems to be eroding.
The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) claimed 100,000 people had joined its protest rally on December 20th. (The police estimated 30,000.) They condemned the pact the government wants to sign with China, formally known as the Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement, or ECFA, saying it would cause thousands of job losses and lead to an influx of cheap Chinese goods. Mr Chen was dogged by protesters, albeit in far smaller numbers than on his first visit in November 2008. In the worst scuffle, a policeman was badly hurt and six people detained.
Mr Chen and his Taiwanese counterpart, Chiang Pin-kun, agreed they would negotiate ECFA at a summit in China in the first half of 2010. Mr Ma hopes it will be signed then, but Chinese negotiators would not promise this.
ECFA is the cornerstone of Mr Ma’s cross-strait policies but he has provided scant details. It is born out of his fear that Taiwan, already ravaged by the financial crisis, will be marginalised as a free-trade pact between China and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) takes effect this January. China puts pressure on other countries not to sign free-trade agreements with Taiwan. Mr Ma hopes that will change once Taiwan and China have their agreement, although there are no guarantees. Singapore is expected to be first.
Even disregarding other markets, however, China’s are attractive enough. Taiwan’s exports face tariffs ranging from 5% to 15% in China….
