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The Epoch TimesECFA: The Beginning of the Endof Taiwan
Democracy?By Wu Tsen-Hsi | June 28, 2010Last Updated: October 1,
201 !:" p#
[ Video Courtesy of NTDTV ]
TAIPEI—More than one hundred thousand opponents took to the
streetson June 26 to protest the upcoming signing of the Economic
CooperationFramework Agreement ECFA! with China" #fficia$s sa% that
the dea$ wi$$
cut tariffs on &'( products and open up ser)ice industries*
gi)ing a ma+or ,oost of around -.// ,i$$ion in annua$ two0wa%
trade" 1ut opponents ,e$ie)e the ECFA wi$$ sink Taiwan s econom%
and democrac% into a direfuture* and e)entua$$% wi$$ he$p China to
3unif%4 Taiwan"
Critics sa% once the dea$ is in effect* cheap goods from China
wi$$ f$ood theTaiwanese market and cause significant unemp$o%ment
in Taiwan" Theeconomic impact* peop$e fear* wi$$ $ea)e Taiwan too
weak to defend againstChina s po$itica$ unification p$ans"
Eight% se)en0%ear0o$d former Taiwanese president 5ee Teng0hui
spoke atthe ra$$%"
5ee said* 3The ECFA is a sham of the Chinese communist regime"
nder thedisguise of ,enefiting Taiwan* the regime wi$$ stea$ Taiwan
s capita$* ta$ent*and techno$og%" It can t ,e more o,)ious that the
regime aims at taking
o)er Taiwan"4
5ee urged Taiwan s peop$e to protect Taiwan with democrac% and
maketheir )oices heard in the %ear0end municipa$ e$ections"
In an ear$ier press conference* 5ee 7uoted from Taiwan
Disaster,authored ,% 8uan 9ong,ing* sa%ing the Chinese communist
regime hasofficia$$% c$aimed that the nature of economic
unification is for Taiwan to
gain economic ,enefits and for China to rea$i:e po$itica$
unification"
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democrac% and human rights as a resu$t of the o)er0re$iance on
main$andChina"4
1ut Taiwan has ,een $eft with $itt$e choice since China has used
its po$itica$inf$uence to ,$ock a$$ other a)enues for Taiwan s
de)e$opment" Fore?amp$e* Taiwan has ,een e?c$uded from the free
trade agreement ,etweenChina and the Association of outheast Asian
Dations A EAD P$us #ne!*
whi$e Taiwan s ma+or competitors Japan and @orea wi$$ +oin the
dea$ in2/.& to form the A EAD P$us Three regiona$ ,od%"
In a high$% competiti)e and $ow profit margin market* tariffs
can ,eessentia$ to an economic ,od% s sur)i)a$" This is the ma+or
moti)ation forTaiwan to sign the ECFA with China"
Economics professor @enneth " 5in of Dationa$ Taiwan
ni)ersit%commented in an inter)iew with Dew Tang
