Hundreds of students have stormed the Taiwanese governments headquarters in protest at a deal that will bring closer trade ties with China. They used a vehicle to knock down barbed wire gates outside the Executive Yuan in central Taipei. Another group of students has occupied the parliament chamber since Tuesday. The protesters fear that the agreement would make Taiwan susceptible to pressure from China, which believes that Taiwan belongs to the mainland. The BBCs Cindy Sui in Taipei says some students staged a sit-in once inside the gates but others tried to push their way into the actual building. Police guarding the government offices were outnumbered and have called for reinforcements, our correspondent says. The mayor of Taipei has appealed for calm and instructed police to protect the building. Barricades hold On Friday thousands of people rallied in Taiwan to support the students who had been occupying parliament, which is also in central Taipei. Police tried to dislodge the students on Wednesday but failed to breach barricades made using furniture. The ruling Kuomintang party says it is determined to ratify the deal with China, which it says will boost the economy and create jobs. The opposition Democratic Progressive Party has backed the protests. China is Taiwans biggest trading partner and in recent years ties between the two have improved. The two sides split at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, and China regards Taiwan as part of its territory. This year however the two held their first direct talks.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 15:45:17 +0000
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