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Taiwan's economics minister Duh Tyzz-jiun said Beijing had obstructed Taiwanese efforts to reach or sign free-trade agreements with at least two countries.

Beijing meddling in Taiwan bids to forge trade pacts, minister claims

Pressure from mainland stopped two countries signing agreements with island, minister claims

Taiwan's economics minister Duh Tyzz-jiun has accused the mainland's government of meddling in other countries' efforts to sign trade pacts with the island, according to a local media report.

The minister said countries that were likely to enter into substantive trade talks with Taiwan this year had decided to hold off after Beijing expressed concerns about their engagement with Taiwan, the Central News Agency reported yesterday, citing an interview Duh gave with the group.

Duh said Beijing had obstructed Taiwanese efforts to reach or sign free-trade agreements with at least two countries, including Malaysia.

Beijing's ambassador in Kuala Lumpur, Huang Huikang, said in August the mainland was against any move by Malaysia to sign a free-trade agreement with Taiwan, although it did not oppose both sides developing trade ties, reported.

The yesterday named Australia as the other country in talks with Taiwan over a trade pact, but it did not cite any sources.

Beijing and Taiwan have been rivals for decades after Kuomintang forces fled to the island in 1949 after losing the civil war on the mainland.

Relations have thawed since Ma Ying-jeou became president in Taiwan in 2008, but Beijing still considers the island a breakaway province and has previously threatened to invade if it should formally declare independence.

Duh also said in the interview he aimed to seal a merchandise trade agreement with the mainland no later than June.

Taiwan is concerned its businesses may suffer after the mainland and South Korea, a major economic competitor to the island, sign a trade deal, probably by the end of the year.

Taiwan and Beijing restarted talks on the merchandise trade pact in September after they were suspended for 11 months.

The negotiations were put on hold amid huge protests in Taiwan earlier this year over a services trade pact with Beijing.

Protesters feared that closer economic ties with the mainland would cost the island jobs and also pose a threat to Taiwan's democratic system.

Beijing and Taiwan were supposed to seal the merchandise trade pact by the end of this year, but that goal now seemed out of reach, Duh was quoted as saying.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Beijing 'meddling' in Taiwan bids to forge trade pacts
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