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Local leaders ink anti-ECFA pledge
STAFF WRITER, with CNA
Saturday, Apr 17, 2010, Page 3
Taiwan Solidarity Union Chairman Huang Kun-huei
accuses President Ma Ying-jeou’s administration of keeping China’s early harvest
list from the public during a press conference in Taipei yesterday.
PHOTO: LIAO CHEN-HUEI, TAIPEI TIMES
Eight local governments under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) signed a
pledge yesterday to refuse to cooperate with the central government’s call to
promote an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA).
“A proposed Taiwan-China economic cooperation framework agreement is a
significant matter and should be decided by Taiwanese,” Chiayi County
Commissioner Chang Hwa-kuan (張花冠) said at a news conference.
Chang also displayed a statement signed by Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊),
Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興), Pingtung County
Commissioner Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻), Tainan Mayor Hsu Tain-tsair (?]), Tainan
County Commissioner Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智), Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen
(蘇治芬) and Yilan County Commissioner Lin Tsong-shyan (林聰賢).
“Until the government comes up with a good explanation of the pros and cons of
the pact, we refuse to serve as messengers for the administration of President
Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九),” Chang said, adding that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
government has not fully disclosed all of the relevant information.
Chang said the central government has only bothered to discuss the good side of
the pact, but it has not told the public about the disadvantages.
She also said that the Ma administration is damaging Taiwan’s democracy and
economy by pushing the trade deal through without the people’s consent.
Meanwhile, at a separate setting yesterday, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU)
Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) called on the Ma administration not to keep
China’s “early harvest” list from the public.
The early harvest list refers to a list of goods and services that will be
subject to immediate tariff concessions or exemptions, which are expected to
form the backbone of the proposed deal.
The TSU has previously cited internal government reports as saying that China’s
early harvest list concentrated on financial, communications, technology and
media sectors. If passed, it could dramatically increase Chinese investment in
these sensitive industries, the TSU said.
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