wfn.org | PCT responds to latest round of ECFA negotiations

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>3017 Edition

>December 21~27 2009

PCT responds to latest round of ECFA negotiations

>Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong and Li Hsin-ren

>Written by Lydia Ma

As another round of Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement  (ECFA) between China

and Taiwan got underway with the second visit of ARATS Chairman  Chen Yunlin just before

Christmas, former Secretary of Defense and PCT member Tsai  Ming-shian, along with other

professors and experts, discussed repercussions of ECFA in a  forum.

 From a national security standpoint, Tsai believes that President  Ma’s pro-China policies

seriously threaten Taiwan’s security and national autonomy.  He also remarked that whereas

U.S. authorities had sent delegates to confirm purchase of  high-tech military weapons last

year, U.S. officials now seem more worried that specifications of  weapons sold to Taiwan

may be leaked to China. Tsai fears the Ma administration is trying  to use economic

integration to achieve its goal of unification.

One expert in the panel cited Hong Kong as example and said ever  since Hong Kong signed

a similar agreement with China, its once internationally based  economy unraveled and it

disintegrated into a low-income, poor work environment, and  low-tech city. Though the pact

did benefit Hong Kong at first and created an inflow of capital,  it turned out to be merely an

economic bubble. Low-wage laborers suffered most and bore the  brunt of inflation when the

bubble burst. That is why many experts are furious that a  democratically-elected president

would turn a deaf ear to the wishes of citizens and sign an  agreement that would harm Taiwan.

In related news, many PCT members from across Taiwan gathered in  Taichung during Chen

Yunlin’s overnight stay in the city on December 21 and  caroled in front of his hotel. They sang

hymns, prayed, and raised banners with slogans such as,  “Believe in Jesus Christ and you

and your country will be saved”, and they urged Chen to  remove the Chinese missiles aimed

>at Taiwan.

Many seminarians from Tainan Seminary participated in this  caroling sponsored by PCT

Church and Society Committee. Students sang hymns as they marched  toward the hotel, but

were met by riot police who attempted to hold them back using  police shields. Seminarians

responded by sitting down instead and continuing their singing and  praying. Riot police

relented after some negotiations and agreed to remove their  shields.

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