President Ma Ying-jeou says the controversy over a cross-strait trade deal should be resolved by the legislature. Ma was speaking Tuesday with the Brookings Institution researcher Richard Bush.
“To solve the controversy, a clear head is needed rather than zeal. We are happy to hold dialogue with all sectors of the society, including students,' said Ma.
"We hope to solve the problem quickly and that it will be reviewed by the legislature clause by clause.”
The president was referring to the controversial trade in services agreement that Taiwan signed with China last June.
Hundreds of students have been occupying the debate chamber of the legislature since March 18th to protest against what they called a “closed-door” review of the agreement. They demand that the agreement be retracted, saying it could jeopardize Taiwan’s economy and democracy.
But President Ma said it’s impossible for the government to withdraw the agreement. Ma said Taiwan is facing tremendous economic challenges and failure to join regional economic integration will lead to more job losses, especially for the younger generation. Ma said the ruling KMT has already agreed to students’ demand to have the agreement reviewed by the legislature item by item.