Anti-ECFA demonstrations to take place in Taipei City

The “anti one-China market” protest will see two groups of demonstrators — one marching from the Wanhua train station and the other from eastern Taipei near the Sogo Department Store, and they will meet in front of the presidential building.

The demonstrators are demanding that a referendum be held regarding the signing of the economic cooperation framework (ECFA) agreement with China.

Traffic control measures will be imposed starting at 6 a.m. today around the presidential building, hours ahead of the start of the march at 2 p.m.

One thousand police officers will be deployed along the demonstration routes, city officials said.

The demonstration will be led by Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party, as well as former President Lee Teng-hui, who during his presidential stint was firm about slowing economic ties with China.

Other protest leaders will include former Vice President Annette Lu and ex-Premier Su Tseng-chang.

Negotiators from Taiwan and China have finalized the list of early harvest for the ECFA, which both sides are set to sign on June 29.

DPP chief Tsai said the signing of the pact is imminent, but the government has yet to reveal what measures will be taken to cushion the impact of the ECFA.

The main opposition party is very worried about the future of Taiwan after the signing of ECFA without reaching a national consensus, going through a democratic process, or considering the local economy and labor market, Tsai said.

The DPP will continue to be opposed the pact if ruling Kuomintang fails to address all the worries of the nation over the ECFA, she said.

The government has rejected a proposal for holding a referendum on the ECFA.

It has argued that the list of early harvest shows that China is making more concessions than Taiwan.

It also stressed that it has kept its promise of not opening the Taiwan market to agricultural products and labor from China — two issues that have been at the center of the quarrels over the ECFA.

But an economist, Lin Hsien-kai, from National Taiwan University, noted that the government is emphasizing the short-term benefits of ECFA.

It is not promising to not allow Chinese agricultural products and labor in the next 10 or 20 years, the scholar said.

Such a promise should be clearly stated in the agreement, otherwise it will be a “time bomb,” with the possibility of China raising the issues in future trade talks, he said.

DPP officials said the finalizing of the early harvest list did not convince its supporters.

The demonstration today is expected to attract at least 40,000 to 50,000 participants, the officials were cited by the United Evening News as saying.

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