Taiwan president calls for free trade pact with China

Taipei: Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou has called for a comprehensive free trade pact with China, saying closer ties with the mainland rival can help the self-ruled island revive its slumping economy.

Presidential Spokesman Wang Yu-chi said on Sunday Ma says his government will seek public support before discussing a pact to set a broad framework for economic dealings.

But the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, which supports formal independence from China, warned that the plan could lead to "economic unification of Taiwan and China," which split amid civil war in 1949.

During his election campaign, Ma pledged to remove trade and investment restrictions with China to help jump-start the island's once-booming economy.