Taiwan govt bars referendum on China trade deal

Taiwan's government on Wednesday blocked a proposal by an anti-China opposition party to hold a referendum on a major trade pact with Beijing.

The cabinet's referendum review committee said it voted 9 to 3 to reject the proposal by the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), saying the party failed to present a convincing argument.

"We strongly condemn the committee members for becoming accomplices to (President) Ma Ying-jeou in blocking the people's rights to hold a referendum, trampling on the rule of law," TSU chief Huang Kun-huei said in a statement.

The Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement is the most sweeping pact ever signed between Taiwan and China and marked the culmination of the Beijing-friendly policies Ma has pursued since he took power in 2008.

Taiwan's opposition, which fears that the pact will over time strengthen Beijing's clout over the island, has criticised the government for sealing the deal without public consent in 2010.

Taiwan and China have been governed separately since a civil war in 1949, but Beijing considers the island part of its territory and has vowed to get it back, by force if necessary.

Despite lingering tension, China is Taiwan's largest trade partner, its largest investment destination, and now also home to a growing number of Taiwanese people.