ECFA will reduce chance of war: Ma
Contrary to almost all his previous statements, President Ma now wants the public to believe that a) the KMT/ROC is not that friendly with the CCP/PRC and b) that the ECFA is not a guaranteed outcome but one that will have to pass the legislature. Here's the money quotes:
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday defended his plan to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with Beijing, saying that closer cross-strait business ties would reduce the possibility of conflict.In the way that 'closer ties' between Germany and Austria or Germany and the USSR prevented war in those regions?
Ma said the planned ECFA was not an attempt to lean toward China, but a necessity for the development of Taiwan. Taiwan so far has signed free trade agreements (FTA) with five of its diplomatic allies, but the trade volume with those countries combined make up less than 1 percent of the country’s total trade, Ma said. “We must sign FTAs with our major trading partners,” he said while meeting leaders of the Taiwan Federation of Industry, Taiwan Provincial Industrial Association and regional industrial associations at the Presidential Office yesterday.No protest from me there though I would add the caveat that any free trade agreement cannot be allowed to come at the cost of productive local industries, local working standards and labour rights and the health of environment.
“They are, in order of trade volume, the mainland, Japan, the US, Southeast Asian countries, the European Union, New Zealand and Australia. That is why we want to sign an ECFA with the mainland,” he said.Again with the 'mainland'. Really, Ma seems to have an aversion to calling the PRC China' but then as anyone knows the reason is that as a staunch ROC loyalist he sees this place we all call Taiwan as China. So, to avoid confusion, China (PRC) is 'the mainland' and here is 'Taiwan region of the ROC'. This minor quibble aside, where is India in that list?
He nevertheless said he was uncertain whether other countries would sign FTAs with Taiwan after it clinched an ECFA with China.Hold on a second. Not so long ago, Ma argued that signing the ECFA with China would facilitate FTA's with other countries but now, having heard from many academics that China is unlikely to 'allow' this even after the ECFA has been signed, Ma is backpedaling fast and saying that it is UNCERTAIN whether Taiwan could sign FTAs. Since signing of FTA's was promoted as a major side-benefit of signing an ECFA, Ma seems to be admitting that the scope of benefits ECFA will deliver for Taiwan has been radically reduced. Obviously, Ma has learnt that he can't keep promising things that he is unable to deliver upon.
“It will reduce the chance of seeing Taiwan marginalized if we sign an ECFA with the mainland,” he said. “I cannot guarantee that other countries will want to sing FTAs with us if we sign an ECFA with Beijing, but I believe we will see the abatement of obstructions and a boost to the chances of peace.”Again, a short time ago, Ma was stating ad nauseum that not signing the ECFA would absolutely marginalise Taiwan. Now he is saying that it will reduce the chance of being marginalised. Another key promised benefit of ECFA is no longer a certainty but now only a possibility.
The more business Taiwan does with China, Ma said, the more secure cross-strait peace becomes, he said.Rofl. Taiwan has been doing extensive business with China since the early 1990's yet this did not stop China during this time building up its missiles, maintaining its threat against Taiwan and passing the Anti-succession law. The only thing that will make the Taiwan strait more secure and peaceful will be Taiwan's utter surrender and annexation. Anything less is a deal breaker for the PRC. Again, Ma's whole position is based on conjecture and speculation.
Ma said that as bilateral trade with China amounted to US$130 billion before he took office in May last year, it was bound to put Taiwan in an adverse position if there were no framework in place to make bilateral trade and investment more efficient and fair.Did he say he wanted trade to be fair? When in the history of the world has international trade ever been truly fair? Furthermore, how do you ensure fairness when one side has an open market with little Government intervention and that other has a market controlled almost entirely by the Government?
As the ASEAN-plus-One is set to take effect in January, Ma said there will be an ASEAN-plus-Three, an ASEAN-plus-Five or even an ASEAN-plus-Six in the future. “If we don’t sign the ECFA with China, we have to pay higher taxes for everything we export to China and it will deal a significant blow to our businesses,” he said. “It is for the good of Taiwan’s future development.”Ma makes the mistake again of having 'China-Syndrome' or the inability to see any other countries outside of China as being potentially beneficial trade partners. If Taiwanese business people are too reliant on China it is partly because Ma and his party are encouraging them to be so, which then makes Taiwan business a hostage to fortune over changes to tax regimes. Instead of worrying about the impact of our exports to China (only one country but yes the largest Taiwan export market), ma should be rushing around frantically trying to get Taiwan to diversify their exports to other countries so as to end reliance on just the one market, as Korea did (they saw the danger of putting all their eggs in the China basket). But no, Ma keeps pushing the China or bust story.
Ma said his administration was not especially friendly to China.This is simply laughable and a pre-election sop to help KMT candidates in central and southern Taiwan. Why is Ma's statement so obviously mendacious?:
a) numerous KMT-CCP forums and exchanges including the infamous Lien Chan 2005 sell-out
b) denying Rebiya Kadeer a visa
c) not protesting the obvious PRC govt led boycott of South Taiwan by PRC tourist orgs.
d) destroying the ROC flag to avoid upsetting Chen Yunlin
e) refusing the meet or recognise the presence of the Dalai Lama after Typhoon Morakot
f) accepting two pandas as gifts which they then effectively named 'unification'
g) rushing to sign an MOU without proper legislative oversight ... the list goes on
“Even if we are not, we still need to do business with them. It is that simple,” he said.We don't need to do business with them. We do business with them because it is convenient. Also, note that we don't do business in China but with China - because, unlike Taiwan, doing business in China is effectively the same as doing business with the CCP/PRC Government since the PRC state controls and owns the vast majority of business in the country.
Ma said there were advantages and disadvantages in signing the planned pact, but added that his administration “will only do it when the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.”Ah, now Ma recognises that he must admit there are disadvantages to ECFA. This is because his previous desire to overlook the possible negative consequences has been hammered by academics and is no longer valid or believed by the public. Now he is saying he will only sign ECFA is the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. This contrasts directly with his earlier position that ECFA MUST and WILL be signed, legislative approval or otherwise.
The president promised that the government would map out measures to take care of industries adversely affected by any deal, while including the “early harvest” article in the proposed pact to benefit certain businesses.More promises. Forgive me if I don't believe them for one second. I doubt that the majority of Taiwanese who still have no idea of the content of an ECFA will believe them either.
Ma said the ECFA would be completed in a piecemeal manner, similar to the FTA signed between China and ASEAN countries, which was signed in 2002 but did not go into effect until the following year.So that's ok then. Taiwan's economic independence will be dismantled in a piecemeal fashion.
As Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) has said, the government will only push an ECFA in line with the principle that “the country needs it, the public supports it and the legislature supervises it,” Ma said he would honor Wu’s promise.Nice words. What will happen? Ma and supporting polls/think tanks/ academics will claim tyat the country does need it, the public does support it and the legislature will absolutely fail to properly supervise it since KMT member's selection for the next election will be dependent upon their unconditional and uncritical support for ECFA when it comes to the legislature for review.
He added that the government would make public its content “at an appropriate time, brief the legislature and let the lawmaking body review it.”See above comment about the foregone nature of said 'review'.
“If it doesn’t pass the legislature, it will not be implemented,” he said. “We will do our best to be as transparent as possible. Please rest assured that we will take a Taiwan-centered approach while furthering the public’s interests.”More electioneering rhetoric here. The ECFA will pass the legislature and it will be implemented. Meanwhile, the Government will do its best to be as transparent as possible. So much for democracy and oversight then.
No cross-strait peace without recognition: academic
It is key for Beijing to recognize Taiwan as a political entity before both sides can sit down and negotiate a peace agreement, an academic supporting the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said at a cross-strait forum yesterday.I think I can see pigs flying .. ah yes ... clear the sign of Beijing recognising Taiwan as a political entity.
Huang Kuang-kuo (黃光國), a professor of psychology at National Taiwan University, said Beijing must take into consideration Taiwan’s “face” before both sides can make an effort to create a win-win situation.Taiwan's face? Does he actually mean the KMT's 'face'.? That's going to be difficult to achieve when for the last 60 years they've been assiduously doing exactly the opposite. How do you give face to an entity that you claim you 'own'?
“When one does not have the courage to face history, that person does not have the courage to face reality,” he said. “The two sides must face reality. With the theory that the Republic of China was subjugated in 1949 in mind, both sides are unlikely to talk about a peace agreement.”This statement is not entirely untrue. Props for pointing this out.
As both sides have expressed the hope to jointly publish a “Greater China dictionary,” Huang dared the administration to challenge the Chinese authorities to write history together.Not a dare I think will be taken up too quickly be Beijing.
Huang made the remarks during a forum organized by the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) in Taipei yesterday morning. The theme of the event was “Chinese culture with Taiwanese features — its meaning and impact on cross-strait relations.”It saddens me to see this constant reiteration of 'Chinese culture with Taiwanese characteristics'. It is a crude and transparent attempt to undo recent rising identification amongst the population of Taiwan as a specific and separate country and culture. Why not say 'Taiwanese culture with Chinese features'?
Taiwan has a unique culture, Huang said, which mixes Chinese culture, Western culture and maritime culture. Despite its uniqueness and advanced character, Taiwan seems to lack self-confidence, he said.Huang makes another good point here. This is an accurate description of of Taiwanese culture.
Huang drew a clear line between Taiwan-centered consciousness and what he called “Taiwan spirit,” which he defined as “a new power blending different cultural features.”Not quite sure what he means here.
With the rise of China, Huang said Taiwan must keep an open mind when it comes to competing with China. “If we cannot compete with them, why don’t we cooperate with them?” he said.Mmm .. maybe because the PRC/CCP have a different conception of the word 'cooperation' to the Taiwanese and most other nations - a conception that may actually be closer to 'subjugation'.
Chen Sheng-fu (陳勝福), chief executive officer of the Ming Hwa Yuan Foundation, said China was making aggressive efforts to catch up with Taiwan on the cultural front, in resources and budget. However, he said that such efforts were politically motivated. Describing culture as soft power and “the last line of defense,” Chen said the cultural exchanges of both sides are like marriage or friendship. “It will only be sustainable if each side can preserve and unfold its own characteristics in an equal manner,” he said. “Politics is the first priority when China engages in economic and cultural exchanges with Taiwan.”Blessed Holy Father, we gather here today to mark the passing of a dear friend. Though the President believed in him and his creed of 'politics is separate from economics' it seemed that his was a impossible life and one that could not be sustained in these times of realpolitik. Let us learn from the sober lessons of his death and keep vigilant for those who would strive to maintain the dangerous and ultimately fatal illusions that led to his untimely demise.
Taiwan, on the other hand, is a democracy where individual groups make separate efforts and therefore decentralize their power. Chen said, urging the government to work together with the private sector to maximize their efforts. SEF spokesman Maa Shaw-chang (馬紹章), however, expressed a different opinion, saying “culture is to attack, not to defend” and that “politics is temporary and culture is forever,” to which Chen said “I do hope so.”Except Taiwanese culture, which will be temporary so that KMT/CCP politics will be forever.
Chu Yun-han (朱雲漢), president of the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, said the term “Chinese culture with Taiwan features” was coined by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). Among its characteristics are the preservation of Chinese culture and integration of the cultures of Taiwan’s modern society and immigrant society.A clear admission here that Ma's goal is to preserve Taiwan as a locus of Chinese culture rather than build upon the development of Taiwanese culture that has struggled to emerge for the last 100 odd years.
As both sides are set to move cross-strait negotiations a step forward from economic issues to cultural and educational ones, Chu proposed they remove “unnecessary man-made obstructions” and treat each other equally and reciprocally.Equal treatment can only come if both sides respect each other as equals. Since China doesn't respect Taiwan as an equal they cannot treat Taiwan equally and reciprocally. They may sound like they do but in their actions will lie the reality.
Culture can serve as an important asset in the development of cross-strait relations, he said, adding that it is different from economic and military might and that its essence is not quantity but quality. “Taiwan has the condition and opportunity to play a significant role in the international arena,” he said. “The foundation of Taiwan’s soft power is culture.”Again, I'm not sure what that means but it doesn;t strike me as a very strong foundation for anything.
Emphasizing that time was pressing, Chu said China was exerting itself to catch up with Taiwan at a speed faster than one could imagine. “Let’s hope Taiwan does not become the turtle and China the hare,” he said.Erm ... haven't they got this the wrong way around. As far as I knew the tortoise won in the end.
