国内英语新闻:Taiwan holds televised election debate for candidates of next deputy leader

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.

Taiwan's future would be guaranteed only if the so-called "Taiwan consensus," put forward by Tsai, was realized, Su said during the debate.

Another debater, Lin Ruey-shiung, 72, the running mate of People First Party (PFP) candidate James Soong, called for the signing of a cross-Strait peace accord, and said that the Chinese nation was fundamentally one family, with reunification benefiting both and secession hurting both.

Lin said, as a member of the Chinese nation, Taiwan must be reunified with the mainland in the future, without wars, and it is the aspiration of all Taiwanese that people of both sides could freely visit each other.

The three candidates also debated on anti-corruption, financial deficit and social equity.

Saturday's debate among the candidates for deputy leader was the second of a three-part series. A debate of the Taiwan leader hopefuls was staged last Saturday, and they will spar again on Dec. 17.