Ma defends cross-Straits trade pact

Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou on Sunday defended the cross-Straits service trade pact and urged protesters to halt their occupation of the legislative chamber in Taipei.

Around 2,000 people stormed the authority's administrative chamber late Sunday as student protesters vowed to extend the occupation of administration buildings. Eight were injured in the conflict between protesters and police, local TV station Cti TV reported. Police pledged to end the protest and take back the building Sunday.

Speaking to reporters in Taipei earlier Sunday, Ma said that Taiwan would suffer economically if it did not sign the agreement.

"Taiwan is in urgent need of more free trade agreements as its economy relies heavily on foreign trade and failure to pass the trade agreement would not only damage Taiwan's credentials in the world but also hurt cross-Straits relations," Ma noted, adding that the ruling Kuomintang party (KMT) has agreed with student demands of a clause-by-clause review and ballots.

Some 400 protesters, mostly young students, broke through security barriers and took over the legislative chamber on Tuesday, the first such occupation in the island's history.

Ma called the occupation a violation of the law, and said the students have affected the authority's work and should withdraw.

"Are we not proud of Taiwan's democracy and rule of law?" Ma said. "If there is no rule of law, democracy cannot be protected. This is the government's unswerving basic position," Ma said.

Ma and the KMT have promoted the pact, which faces final review on April 8, as necessary to maintain Taiwan's competitiveness and status as an export powerhouse.

They called it a precondition for Taiwan to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a wide-ranging trade deal spearheaded by the US.

However, protesters still demanded a rejection of the agreement claiming the pact might leave Taiwan vulnerable to political pressure from the Chinese mainland.

"Although the agreement might benefit Taiwan's economy in the short term, our independent economy may be put under control of the mainland in return. It also risks all kinds of hidden rules and administrative approvals from the mainland," said Hong Chih-kun, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) central executive committee.

Approval of the pact would pave the way for greater economic integration, by opening 80 of the mainland's service sectors to Taiwan and 64 Taiwan sectors to mainland businesses.

"Taiwan could have revived its economy in cooperation with the rapid economic development of the mainland. Economic cooperation would then take the lead in advancing cross-Straits relations," Li He, a deputy director of the Beijing-based National Society of Taiwan Studies, told the Global Times.

Li noted that it is abnormal to see such an occupation in a democratic society, which reflects populism instead of democracy. He believed that it reflects the anti-mainland ideology of Taiwan residents, which is a result of long-term misleading policies against the mainland.

While protesters hailed their freedom of expression under democracy, the occupation was criticized by many for being chaotic and irrational.

Previous media reports revealed that some student protestors had been drinking and partying inside the legislative chamber.

Others voiced concerns that reflected a lack of understanding of the pact.

An anonymous protester reached by the Global Times said she is worried that "mainland investors might take away job opportunities of future generations."

"Many students are irrational in responding to the agreement. They are faced with an unsatisfying job market and they don't realize that the agreement could create more jobs for them. Young people tend to be rebellious and are easily incited by the DPP," said Hu Benliang, an associate research fellow with the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Agencies contributed to this story