TAIPEI, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- A televised debate among three candidates for Taiwan's next deputy leader was staged Saturday, highlighting cross-Strait political and economic issues, for next month's Taiwan leader election.
The three candidates touched upon topics such as stances on the reunification of Taiwan and the Chinese mainland and the "Taiwan independence," last year's signing of the cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), among other cross-Strait issues, during the second face-to-face debate before the Jan. 14, 2012 election.
Wu Den-yih, who is incumbent Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou's running mate and currently chief of Taiwan's executive authority, said the signing of the ECFA aims to "help people do business and enhance Taiwan's competitiveness." Ma is seeking a second term.
The ECFA did not speed up Taiwan's inclination toward the mainland market, but ensured the island's utmost interests instead, Wu said, adding that if Ma, who is also chairman of Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party, did not win during the upcoming election, cross-Strait peace and stability would not be maintained.
However, Wu's main rival Su Jia-chyuan, the running mate of Tsai Ing-wen who campaigned for Taiwan's next leader representing major opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), claimed that Taiwan is a "sovereign state" and its fate would be decided by Taiwanese themselves, no matter it would become independent or unified with the mainland, or maintain the status quo.
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