Ma warns of rivalry with China

Ma made the remarks when speaking at a workshop for senior officials on programs related to China, the first workshop of its kind ever launched by the Ma administration.

“My administration has always aimed to serve the best interests of Taiwan,” Ma said, adding that four accords signed in November were all economic issues of major concern to Taiwan and are absolutely irrelevant to the delicate sovereignty issue.

The president stressed that the closer economic ties with China won't jeopardize Taiwan's sovereignty or dignity and that the government's recent launch of daily direct cross-Taiwan Strait charter flights and direct shipping and postal links with China is beneficial to Taiwan and will raise Taiwan's international competitiveness.

Ma cited the results of recent opinion polls as indicating that the majority of the public favor the launch of the direct links with China, as more than two-thirds of the respondents believe the agreements signed with China will have a very positive effect on the economy.

Touching on a just-concluded forum between the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party, Ma said Taiwan's quasi-official Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), cannot replace all the functions of non-government organizations (NGOs).

“We need all the help we can get,” said Ma, adding that in the near future, the SEF and the Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) will not be able to handle the daily increasing matters between Taiwan and China.

Emphasizing that there are more than 60 channels of communication between the United States and China, Ma noted that NGOs and academics are a vital part of the non-official communication channels between the two sides of the strait that can contribute significantly to the improvement of cross-strait ties and cooperation.

“The pacts with China represent an opportunity to boost Taiwan's economy, but should not be regarded as a panacea for Taiwan's economic woes,” said Ma, adding that the government should always hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

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