"Ma said that while commerce with China has increased, so has that with other countries. Shipments to the mainland made up 42 percent of the total last year, little changed from 41 percent in 2007 before Ma took office.
"A survey of 389 [Taiwanese] chief executive officers by Taipei-based Commonwealth Magazine showed 63 percent polled supported Ma’s cross-strait policy. In the survey, conducted between Nov 28 and Dec 15, 46 percent said the trade pact with China has had no impact so far on their companies, though they expect it may be beneficial in future.
"Mainland visitors jumped to 1.6 million in the first 11 months of this year, up 6.2 percent from the year earlier period and overtaking Japan as Taiwan’s biggest source of overseas tourists.
Note: TVBS is a pro-KMT midea group.
(3) Ben Blanchard, China Says Taiwan's Opposition a Threat to Peace. Reyters, Dec 28, 2011 http://www.reuters.com/article/2 ... USTRE7BR07X20111228
("China has slowly ramped up the rhetoric ahead of Taiwan's January 14 presidential and parliamentary polls, offering both economic incentives for the self-ruled island and making veiled threats that a vote for the DPP would harm vital trade ties")
(5) Latest first.
(a) Jamie Wang, Hualien Rice Farmers Say Trade With Japan Unprofitable. CNA, Dec 28, 2011 http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/W ... amp;ID=201112280041
(In 2004, 108 metric tons of Hualien's famous Fuli rice * * * had to pass 127 different pesticide residue tests before it could be exported to Japan. * * * the Japanese now demanded that the rice had to pass over 570 pesticide residue tests")
Note Fuli Township, Hualien Couonty 花蓮縣 里鄉
(b) Yang Shu-min and Lilian Wu, Taiwan's premium rice wins recognition from Japan. CNA, Dec 27, 2011 http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/ ... 11/12/28/2003521825
("Agriculture and Food Agency Director Li Tsang-lang (李蒼郎) said rice exports have long been constrained by high costs of production, which make Taiwanese rice more expensive than that grown in the US, Thailand and Australia")
My comment: The report in Taipei Times is essentially from Central News Agency, so I restore that byline and title of CNA.