Leadership candidates in ECFA debate
Source: Xinhua |
December 18, 2011, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE third and final televised debate among three candidates for the January 14th Taiwan leadership election was held yesterday in Taipei. The candidates focused on last year's signed cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement.
The candidates -- Ma Ying-jeou, chairman of Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang party, Tsai Ing-wen who represents the island's major opposition Democratic Progressive Party, and People First Party Chairman James Soong - stated their political views and debated with each other.
Both Ma and Soong affirmed the ECFA's role in promoting cross-strait trade.
Ma said the ECFA gives Taiwan the chance to compete with South Korea and other Asian economies. Taiwan and South Korea were labeled members of "Four Asian tigers" in the 1990s for their strong economic growth.
Ma said the accusation against him that signing the ECFA was "selling Taiwan to China" was groundless.
He criticized Tsai's cross-strait policy and the so-called "Taiwan Consensus" as "vague."
Soong said the mainland and Taiwan should not retrogress after signing the ECFA, and they should create better opportunities for each other under shared prosperity. However, he said the ECFA is not a "panacea" as there are more concrete problems to solve.
In contrast, Tsai continued to deny the "1992 Consensus" and avoided clarifying details of the "Taiwan consensus."
In November 1992, the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan's Strait Exchange Foundation reached the consensus that "both sides of the Taiwan Strait adhere to the one-China principle."
The agreement has since served as a basis for cross-strait negotiations.
The candidates -- Ma Ying-jeou, chairman of Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang party, Tsai Ing-wen who represents the island's major opposition Democratic Progressive Party, and People First Party Chairman James Soong - stated their political views and debated with each other.
Both Ma and Soong affirmed the ECFA's role in promoting cross-strait trade.
Ma said the ECFA gives Taiwan the chance to compete with South Korea and other Asian economies. Taiwan and South Korea were labeled members of "Four Asian tigers" in the 1990s for their strong economic growth.
Ma said the accusation against him that signing the ECFA was "selling Taiwan to China" was groundless.
He criticized Tsai's cross-strait policy and the so-called "Taiwan Consensus" as "vague."
Soong said the mainland and Taiwan should not retrogress after signing the ECFA, and they should create better opportunities for each other under shared prosperity. However, he said the ECFA is not a "panacea" as there are more concrete problems to solve.
In contrast, Tsai continued to deny the "1992 Consensus" and avoided clarifying details of the "Taiwan consensus."
In November 1992, the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan's Strait Exchange Foundation reached the consensus that "both sides of the Taiwan Strait adhere to the one-China principle."
The agreement has since served as a basis for cross-strait negotiations.
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