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May 3, 2014

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Poll calls for review of cross-Strait pact

MORE than 70 percent of Taiwan people want the controversial cross-Strait service trade pact to be reviewed clause by clause “right now,” according to a survey released yesterday.

Signed in June 2013, the pact normalizes and liberalizes service trade between China’s mainland and Taiwan, and opens up markets on both sides. Under the agreement, the mainland will open 80 service sectors to Taiwan, while the island will open 64 to the mainland.

The poll of 1,100 people aged over 20 was conducted by Taipei’s Chengchi University and published by Taiwan’s mainland affairs department. About 42 percent of respondents said they supported the pact, while 40 percent opposed it.

In mid-March, students stormed Taiwan’s legislative chamber in protest at what they see as “undemocratic” tactics by the ruling Kuomintang to speed up the ratification of the pact. The protest ended on April 10.

The island administration agreed to review the pact clause by clause and has submitted a draft oversight regulation concerning the signing of cross-Strait agreements to the legislative body. However, the latter said it will not start the review until the oversight regulation has been passed.

So far seven bills of oversight regulation have been tabled by the administration, opposition parties, think tanks and individual lawmakers. It is expected to take some time to pass an agreed version.

Talks between the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation have produced a number of cross-Strait agreements since 2008, including the service trade pact.

The poll said 59 percent of people considered cross-Strait consultations a benefit for regional peace and stability.




 

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