‘Third-force’ parties condemn trade deals and refuse the TPP

ABSOLUTELY OPPOSED: In the wake of a push to have Taiwan included in the TPP, small parties have expressed disapproval over free-trade ties

By Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter





Small “third force” parties condemned trade negotiations yesterday, while affirming opposing positions on whether to accede to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

The secretaries-general of the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), Green Party Taiwan (GPT) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) appeared at a forum organized by the Economic Democracy Union.

“We’re giving up our free-trade ‘bottom line’ in exchange for [benefits to] industries dominated by mega-corporations, which we should discard,” GPT Secretary-General Hsu Po-jen (許博任) said, adding that his party was “absolutely opposed” to any agreement, even one negotiated following the passage of the proposed bill for instituting a cross-strait agreement oversight mechanism.

While current negotiations have focused on winning tariff reductions for the paneling and petrochemical industries, such reductions would be a poor substitute for dropping import bans against thousands of Chinese products, because both industries are known for wasting energy, generating pollution and exploiting labor, he said.

He added that his party was also opposed to joining the TPP, which he said would benefit multinational corporations and international capital at the expense of people and the environment.

“We don’t need to sign more of these free-trade agreements,” he said, adding that the nation’s growing dependence on China, even after joining the WTO, demonstrated that joining the TPP would not substantially reduce its reliance on China.

SDP Secretary-General Yeh Hung-ling (葉虹靈) echoed Hsu’s remarks, saying that her party was opposed to both the manner and content of trade negotiations, as well as the TPP.

The GPT and SDP have entered into an electoral alliance, jointly nominating district and legislator-at-large candidates.

TSU Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) also stated his party was opposed to the negotiation of any trade agreement with China, irrespective of the passage of the oversight mechanism bill.

“We are opposed to the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement [ECFA] in principle, so for agreements on trade in goods or services, we are not just opposed to opaque ‘black box’ negotiations, we are opposed to their essence and we will fight against them to the end,” he said.

He said that his party was divided internally over whether to accede to the TPP, with some members unwilling to make the required concessions, while others viewed the agreement as a necessary step away from dependence on China.