20130725 MAC slammed over press adverts
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MAC slammed over press adverts

By Chris Wang / Staff reporter

An advertisement placed in local newspapers yesterday by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) to promote the recently inked cross-strait service trade agreement was ¡§a bad example¡¨ of democracy in Taiwan, as the ministry had violated its function as a public policy communicator, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.

The MAC placed the advertisement, titled ¡§10 growing strengths,¡¨ in a number of local newspapers, pledging that the service trade pact with China would bring benefits to service sub-sectors such as catering, retail, film, laundry, beauty, e-commerce, online gaming, banking, life insurance and futures trading.

Rather than consulting Taiwanese and releasing assessment reports before completing negotiations with Beijing, the government has launched a propaganda drive, which only provides one-side information, after the pact¡¦s signing and told local businesses that they will benefit from the agreement, DPP Department of China Affairs director Honigmann Hung (¬x°]¶©) said.

¡§It is true that some sub-sectors [of the service sector] would gain a competitive advantage under the agreement, but many others would suffer negative impacts and the government has not been honest with people,¡¨ Hung said.

However, Hung admitted that it is also true that, with or without the agreement, some Taiwanese service sub-sectors have already proven very competitive in the Chinese market.

DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (Ĭ­s©÷) described the government¡¦s ¡§charm offensive¡¨ and its claims that some parties and media outlets have been intentionally discrediting the pact as a ¡§twisted and partial effort¡¨ which is not helping the nation.

The administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (°¨­^¤E) has exaggerated the positive effects of the service trade pact in the advertisement, which rather ¡§resembled sexual potency enhancement drug adverts,¡¨ DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (ªL«T¾Ë) said.

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