Shortly after its "historic" agreement with Beijing, Taipei stresses the need to make other agreements and end its economic isolation. But the opposition protests and fears being annexed by China.

Taipei (AsiaNews / Agencies) -  Just two weeks after the historic agreement with China, Taiwan has declared it a decisive step to overcome its economic isolation, increase trade and promote integration in Asia. President Ma Ying-jeou is enjoying a rise in popularity in the country and insists on creating greater ties with China.

Yesterday Johnny Chi-Chen Chiang, Taiwan's Minister of Information, explained that the trade agreement (ECFA) is only a first step and now Taipei wants to open negotiations with other trading partners to avoid being isolated, especially when considering the strong relationship that Beijing has already established with other economies in the area: in a few months a free trade agreement between China and Southeast Asian countries, albeit only for certain goods, will come into force.

China is Taiwan’s biggest trading partner and receives about 41% of its exports. But Chiang insists that you can not focus on one direction and repeats the desire to increase relations with India and other countries in the region, with whom Taipei also has strong relationship with 49% of total exports.

China is pressuring other states not to establish relationships of any kind with Taiwan, which it considers a rebel province and not an independent state. This has severely limited the island’s trade and economic relations. But now Beijing favours a new relationship and Chinese President Hu Jintao has called the recent trade agreement "historical".

However a survey in July of the Taiwanese Commission for research, development and evaluation shows that 47% of respondents supported this agreement and 68% approved of attempts to improve relations with Beijing.

Moreover, the opposition argues that the trade agreement will make Taiwan's economy dependent on that of China, flood the market with Chinese goods, and is worried that all this can eventually lead to the integration of Taiwan into China (photo: A protest in Taiwan against ECFA). Experts say that in Tibet and Xinjiang, Beijing claims to have facilitated the development of the region with strong infrastructure and investment. But relations between the authorities and these two regions are becoming increasingly tense and the Chinese Communist Party wants to suppress any dissent, even minor.

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