【Current Events】We Ask President Tsai to Discourage Lai from Attacking Mainland Affairs Council

"We ask President Tsai to discourage Lai Ching-te (賴清德) from attacking the Mainland Affairs Council. More importantly, we ask the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to stop spreading fake news to tarnish Chairman Ko Wen-je's reputation, hindering the institutionalization of Cross-Strait Economic and Trade Relations.

 

The DPP's political media and cyber army are launching a full-scale attack on Ko, accusing him of betraying Taiwan and supporting cheap labor from China. However, evidence speaks for itself. Our official white paper that was supposedly “published” by the media was never actually published. Additionally, The Strait Exchange Foundation clarifies on their website that "the Trade in Services Agreement did not open up to Chinese labor." Two months ago, the Mainland Affairs Council expressed their position to resume negotiations on the Trade in Services Agreement as soon as possible. Lai Ching-te believes that "reviving the Trade in Services Agreement is promoting the One-China market," which challenges President Tsai’s position.

 

Ko Wen-je's stance is consistent with the 2014 Sunflower Movement's call for the "enactment of a supervisory law before reviewing the Trade in Services Agreement." However, the DPP took advantage of the Sunflower Movement during the 2016 election but never implemented any law following the movement. Ko Jian-ming (柯建銘), the DPP Caucus Chair, even confused the issue by bringing up the "Act Governing the Supervision of Cross-Strait Agreements" with the "Cross Strait Supervision Regulations Act" to deceive those who are unaware that the former is the appropriate legislation for economic and trade agreements.

 

Lai Ching-te repeatedly emphasizes "brotherhood" and "wanting to have dinner with Xi Jinping," portraying the illusion of national subjugation to voters and obstructing opportunities for peaceful exchanges. He claims that he is "anti-communist, not anti-China," yet his behavior contradicts his words. Throughout the years, he has flipped his political stance multiple times for elections, and his inconsistency makes it hard for people to believe his words.

 

Conversely, Ko has been consistent when speaking against rigged deals and supports the legislation of the Act Governing the Supervision of Cross-Strait Agreements. He highlights the importance of pre- and post-negotiation oversight and the need to avert monopolization from compradors. Furthermore, Ko calls for prioritizing trade in goods over Trade in Services. Video recordings of his past statements are readily available, yet Lai’s camp continues to red-tag Ko, claiming that “Ko changes his stance due to pressure from China."

 

If Lai Ching-te believes that ECFA is a sugar-coated poison, he should ask President Tsai to withdraw from ECFA, terminate early harvest lists, and urge the Mainland Affairs Council to stop spreading false information.