KMT, DPP lawmakers fail to reach agreement of China trade pact

Taipei, March 24 (CNA) Lawmakers from ruling and opposition parties failed to reach an agreement Monday even as Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng tried to broker a deal between the caucuses to break the deadlock over the trade-in-services agreement with China.

The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)'s whip Ker Chien-ming told the press after the meeting that the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) showed no willingness to make concessions.

The KMT caucus is not budging, Ker said, meaning "there's no room for us to talk to each other."

The KMT sidestepped a review by legislative committees last Monday to push it straight to a floor vote, triggering strong opposition from the DPP and leading student-led protesters to occupy the Legislative Yuan the following day.

The trade pact was signed by representatives from Taiwan and China last June but has been stalled in the Legislature.

(By Chen Wei-ting and Elizabeth Hsu)ENDITEM/WH

Related stories:●March 24: DPP lawmakers demand renegotiation of pact with China (update 2)●March 24: Legislative speaker to meet with lawmakers over trade pact row●March 23: Trade pact with China still under committee screening: speaker●March 22: DPP schedules review of China trade pact; KMT vows boycott

(Click here for the latest on the ongoing protest and developments since the Legislature occupation starting March 18.)