Taiwan's economic minister said Tuesday preparations for a proposed trade pact with China are shifting into high gear and will not be disrupted by an upcoming Cabinet reshuffle. Preparations for the deal "should be able to continue moving ahead no matter who drives," Yiin Chii-ming said, according to the United Evening News.
He was speaking the day after President Ma Ying-jeou appointed Wu Dun-yih, the chief secretary of the ruling party, as new premier in response to public criticism of the government for its handling of last month's typhoon. It was not clear if Yiin, a prominent proponent of the pact with China, would stay on in the new Cabinet headed by Wu.
The government insists the trade pact, referred to as an "Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement", will boost the flow of goods and personnel, raising annual economic growth by more than one percentage point. Officials here have said they hope to sign the pact early next year.
The opposition Democratic Progressive Party, which favours independence from China, has strongly opposed the pact, which it claims would demote Taiwan to the status of a local government in future talks with the mainland. China and Taiwan split in 1949 after a civil war, but relations have warmed since May last year, when China-friendly Ma assumed the presidency.