Ma to address ECFA era strategy

Ma is expected to touch on such issues as industrial transformation, foreign investment solicitation, complementary measures for industries vulnerable to the pact, and a clearer picture of the nation's development over the next decade, the Presidential Office said earlier in the day.

Ma pointed out that Taiwan's external economic development has been shrinking over the past decade, while the economies of other nations has been growing rapidly.

“If the situation continues, Taiwan will be marginalized,” Ma said.

When a nation's economy encounters a bottleneck, it needs fresh momentum, he added, noting that Taiwan's wage level has not changed much over the past decade thanks to the economy's lack of vitality.

“The ECFA will provide Taiwan a big opportunity to ride on its wings and fly high,” Ma said.

The president also indicated that a cross-strait investment protection agreement should be discussed within six months after the ECFA takes effect.

Ma made the remarks during his visit of southern Taiwan to attend the opening of a new bridge in Jiasian, Kaohsiung County. The original one collapsed when Typhoon Sinlaku struck in 2008.

Taiwan's economy in the first quarter grew 13.27 percent from a year earlier, according to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).

The DGBAS attributed the growth to a stable global economic recovery led by robust growth in China and other emerging Asian nations, the introduction of new high tech products and last year's low baseline.

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