Taipei Times
Date:  Nov 25, 2015
By: Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter

Amid growing public opposition to the proposed cross-strait trade in goods agreement, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday said the government should draw up comprehensive compensatory measures before inking a deal with China.

Chu made the remarks during an interview with China TV yesterday morning, in which he criticized the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) handling of the controversial cross-strait service trade agreement signed in Shanghai in June 2013.

“When we reflect on the service trade agreement, it was marred by a lack of communication and the government’s ambiguous planning,” said Chu, who took over the KMT chairmanship from Ma in January.

Given the sensitive nature of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait signing a deal, Chu said if he had been in power, he would have handled the issue in a more discreet manner and laid down a full compensatory plan before signing the treaty.

Chu said the president should have also assessed the matter from a strategic point of view to determine whether to sign the service trade agreement or the trade in goods agreement first.     [FULL  STORY]