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Published Date: 2014-04-17
China says a trade in services agreement that it signed with Taiwan will benefit both sides.
The agreement was signed last June, but has since failed to clear Taiwan's legislature. An attempt by the ruling Kuomintang to put it to a legislative vote led to a student occupation of the legislature which lasted more than three weeks.
Supporters of the agreement believe that it will bring vast business opportunities, while critics say that it will destroy small businesses in Taiwan and give China too much influence.
On Thursday a spokesman for China's Ministry of Commerce, Shen Danyang, said the terms China offered in the agreement are even better than its WTO commitments.
Shen said according to the pact, China will open 80 industries to Taiwan, and 78 of these commitments are under better terms than China’s WTO pledges. He also said that China hopes the agreement will be implemented soon.