Student protests in Taipei against a new services trade agreement with Beijing are getting lots of headlines this week. \u00a0But they aren\u2019t likely to scuttle the deal.<\/p>\n
While President Ma Ying-jeou\u2019s efforts to deepen ties between Taiwan and mainland China are contentious, the protests, including an occupation of the parliament,\u00a0also\u00a0highlight public discontent with his domestic policies and his governing style.<\/p>\n
The protests stem from \u201can accumulation of frustrations about domestic issues, it\u2019s not just China,\u201d our correspondent notes. People feel \u201ctoo many things are happening without the public review and public explanation that people want.\u201d<\/p>\n
The agreement itself, signed last July, would liberalize trade in services between Taiwan and China. That holds promise but also potential peril for smaller Taiwanese firms. It follows the\u00a0Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement that President Ma signed with Beijing in 2010, a landmark step in the thaw in economic and political relations between Beijing and Taipei that has occurred on his watch.<\/p>\n
Ma met with protesters and made some concessions. But despite concerns in some quarters about the deepening economic ties \u2013 after all, Beijing sees Taiwan as a province that must someday be reintegrated into the country \u2013 they appear likely to continue apace.<\/p>\n
The protest leaders seem to be losing some of their followers already. And as far as the agreement goes, nobody is talking about pulling back the deal.<\/p>\n
Student protests in Taipei against a new services trade agreement with Beijing are getting lots of headlines this week. \u00a0But they aren\u2019t likely to scuttle the deal. While President Ma Ying-jeou\u2019s efforts to deepen ties between Taiwan and mainland China … Continue reading ![\"China-Taiwan\"](\"http:\/\/www.w-t-w.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/China-Taiwan-262x300.jpg\")
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