Taiwan's Ma Ying-jeou urges early passage of trade pact

Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou on Monday urged the island's legislature to ratify a cross-Strait service trade pact, warning that a further delay will make Taiwan more isolated.

Ratification will normalize and liberalize service trade between the mainland and Taiwan, which has been bogged down since student protests in March.

Taiwan must liberalize trade with the mainland, and risks isolation in the region if it shuns economic cooperation, Ma said at a press conference.

Citing last week's Wall Street Journal editorial entitled "Taiwan Leaves Itself Behind", Ma said Taiwan's barriers to trade with the mainland will solve no problems and, on the contrary, will hurt the island itself.

Ma, chairman of the ruling Kuomintang, called on the opposition to put aside partisanship and stop using the "violent boycott" to filibuster the legislature, otherwise Taiwan' s economic lifeline will be at stake.

All parties who care about Taiwan, should think more of the people's interests and stop politicking, he said.