Taiwan’s ‘sunflower movement’ wary of Chinese ties
A free-trade pact with China has Taiwanese student protesters concerned over the future of the island.
Watch the show here at 19:30 GMT.
In what’s been dubbed the “sunflower student movement”, hundreds of youths in Taipei have occupied parliament to oppose a China-Taiwan trade pact and to call for greater government transparency. Protesters say the trade deal will cost Taiwan jobs and economic independence, while those who support the measure believe more business with China will keep the island economically competitive. Anger over the trade agreement also speaks to the larger issue on the minds of many Taiwanese – the growing dominance of China over the island. Join the conversation Monday, March 31 at 19:30 GMT.
In this episode, The Stream speaks with:
Lin Chu-Chia
Deputy Minister of the Mainland Affairs Council
mac.gov.tw
Roy Chun Lee
Deputy Director of the Taiwan WTO Center
taiwan.wtocenter.org.tw/wtowebeng/aboutus.asp
Lin Fei-fan
Student leader of the Sunflower Movement
Wu Rui-Ren
Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica
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