Economic Justifications For The CSSTA

Economic justifications for the CSSTA often revolved around claims that the CSSTA was needed for Taiwan’s economic development and that it would not lead to undue Chinese influence over Taiwan, but in fact only benefit Taiwan through increasing exports of Taiwan’s service industry to China, leading to profits for Taiwan and the creation of new jobs. Ma, for example, famously touted that the “benefits outweigh the disadvantages” regarding the CSSTA, a claim many disputed.

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It was also claimed that Taiwan refusing to sign the CSSTA would lead to exclusions from other international trade deals, such as the American-led TPP and the China-led RCEP. This was a way in which attempts were made to assuage fears about the CSSTA as a trade agreement with China by claiming that Taiwan needed to merely conform to international trends or it would be left behind.

Read Next:

• What was the CSSTA?

• What were economic justifications for the CSSTA?

• Was the Sunflower Movement an anti-free trade movement?

Photo credit: hjw223/Flickr/CC