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Updated Monday, April 12, 2010 4:49 pm TWN, The China Post news staff

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Is the ECFA debate necessary?

There is little doubt that the economic cooperation framework agreement Taiwan is planning to sign with China as soon as practicable must be debated in public. That is the reason why President Ma Ying-jeou, who doubles as chairman of the Kuomintang, is scheduled to debate the agreement with Democratic Progressive Party chairperson Tsai Ing-wen on television in two weeks' time. But that public debate is totally and absolutely unnecessary, if she is reported to have readied herself to voice objection by equating the pact with an act of selling out Taiwan.

The opposition party has prepared a booklet, titled “Unspeakable Secrets of the ECFA,” which lists all the points of debate for its chairwoman to argue against President Ma, who wants to have the agreement concluded before the end of next month, if at all possible to prevent Taiwan from being marginalized in the emerging Asian free trade zone. The only line of argument against the ECFA, as revealed by the little book on her debate strategy, is that it is a conspiracy of the Kuomintang to let its Chinese-born chairman sell out the native-born islanders of Taiwan.

It is ludicrous to argue that Ma is planning a sellout of Taiwan. Even if he dreamed of presenting Taiwan to the People's Republic on a silver platter, he wouldn't be able to make his dream come true. The plain truth is that nobody in the world can sell out Taiwan to China. But it makes sense for the opposition party to continue to accuse Ma of a conspiracy in order to try to win the upcoming mayoral elections in five special municipalities and pave the way for Tsai to bear its standard in the presidential election of 2012. The DPP chairwoman simply has to drone on about Ma's supposed conspiracy to consolidate the party's power base in central and southern Taiwan.

As an inevitable consequence, Tsai has to raise in the TV debate the question of China planning to gobble up Taiwan by dangling the carrot of economic cooperation. Of course, the People's Republic wishes to take Taiwan back into its fold by any peaceful means possible. If it did not work, Beijing might even resort to force to conquer what it claims as one of its provinces. But China knows full well no amount of economic benevolence it may choose to confer on Taiwan can win the hearts of the people who alone can decide their own future.

The ECFA cannot force Taiwan to Finlandize itself, albeit Tsai and her DPP leaders argue it will. Not even the threat of an all-out invasion from across the Taiwan Strait can intimidate our people into giving up their freedom to live and work in peace. Nor will the Kuomintang administration be coerced to serve China subserviently as Finland did during the Cold War.

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Comments

April 12, 2010 shukunmak@

Any trade pact is simple enough for any man in the street to understand. It is just based on mutual benefit and equal status. If ecfa is proved to hurt Taiwan’s economy or sovereignty we reject to sign it.

April 12, 2010 mtsai16@

Below is my response to the following statement: "Like Adolf Hitler endlessly chanting Nazi mantras to mesmerize the Germans into following him, the DPP chairwoman simply has to drone on Ma's conspiracy to consolidate the party's power base in central and southern Taiwan."

This is an example of a distorted use of simile. Hitler was bent on taking over Europe before conquering the world. Tsai, on the other hand, wishes to keep Taiwan free from China's political pull.

This editorialist forgets that Tsai is trying to win over more northerners as well. The latest polls indicate that fewer Taiwanese have confidence in Ma and an ever increasing number disapproves of his performance.

Ma has made egregious errors and failed Taiwanese citizens; his numerous gaffes and go-it-alone strategy are reminiscent of a recent president from a North American country. Thus, it is not improbable that people would start to believe in conspiracy theories.

April 17, 2010 taiwan2012@

"Ma wants to continue dialogue between Taipei and Beijing in line with what is known as the consensus of 1992"

I have hard time understanding why after the creator of "consensus of 1992", Su Chi, mentioned to the public in several occasions that "consensus of 1992" is something he fabricated in 2000 (but not the consensus reached between Taiwan and China in 1992), people -- including Ma Ying-jeou and author(s) of this editorial-- keep chanting this fabrication as a fact and treating it like supreme principle.

Can someone explain this to the western readers how it ( treating a fabrication as a guideline of a country development) could possibly work in Taiwan ?

April 20, 2010 jack232323@

The consensus of 1992 is fabrication. ROC doesn't exist in the eyes of PRC, yet the KMT sticks to using it as our national name for ROC is the only linkage between china with Taiwan, which are two separate countries in our eyes.

April 21, 2010 dpp4sale@

It is the IGNORANCE and STUPIDITY of the DPP that led to this worthless DEBATE.

April 23, 2010 jt567@

We don't use words like ignorance or stupidity in any kinds of debate.

April 23, 2010 ludahai_twn@

@dpp4sale -- It is the stupidity and arrogance of Ma and his Chinese KMT party who is making all of this necessary. You don't sign FTAs with states who claim you as part of their sovereign territory. Please show me ONE INSTANCE in history where such an FTA was signed on the basis of equality. There will be nothing equal about this. Most Taiwanese have no problem with dealing with China on an equal state-to-state basis as few Taiwanese actually take seriously the KMT claims to being the legitimate government of China. The government in Beijing as well as its people, DO believe that Taiwan is a part of its territory and it has repeatedly threatened military force if necessary to FORCE DEMOCRATIC Taiwan into its fold. You want to sign an FTA with a country like that? What folly!!

April 25, 2010 socn99999@

It's not necessary at all because Taiwan needs our Mainland China's money and Mainland needs Taiwan's advanced management experience & expertise. The benefit will be mutual for both sides! Good luck, Greater China Economic Region!

April 26, 2010 dpp4sale@

jt567@ wrote:
We don't use words like ignorance or stupidity in any kinds of debate.

Why then is there a DEBATE in the first place??? Because those DPPs are IGNORAMUS & STUPID from the beginning.