Opinion | Ma Ying-jeou's hard-fought services trade pact with mainland not a done deal
Opposition angry Ma is rushing through a services trade pact that would sweep away restrictions on mainland investment
The sweeping services trade agreement signed by Beijing and Taipei last month risks being sent back to the negotiating table if Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou cannot overcome stiff resistance in the legislature.
The pact, which would open everything from financial institutions to funeral services to increased cross-strait investment, is generally seen by experts as economically advantageous to the island.
It has nonetheless come under fire from lawmakers - both within and without Ma's ruling Kuomintang who worry about its impact on certain industries and argue they haven't been given time to prepare for the vote.
If any part of the pact is rejected, it would have to be renegotiated, said Taipei's Straits Exchange Foundation chief Lin Join-sane, who's group represents Taipei in talks with Beijing. "This means the two sides would have to restart talks," Lin said, adding that the deal had been subject to two years of negotiations before being signed last month.
The pact was one of several follow-up agreements to the three-year-old Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement that provides a roadmap for expanded trade ties between Beijing and Taipei.
The services trade agreement would, if adopted, would represent the 19th such pact since 2008, when Ma took office and set about improving ties.