Taiwanese show guarded acceptance of China pact

(Reuters) - The low turnout at a demonstration in Taiwan on Saturday against a trade pact with China pointed to broad but guarded acceptance of the deal by the Taiwanese public.

The 10,000 who attended Saturday's demonstration in the southern city of Kaohsiung, an opposition stronghold, fell far short of the 50,000 to 100,000 who rallied in previous years against overtures to Beijing by the China-friendly Taiwanese government.

Political analysts said the size of the protest, a month after a sit-in in Taipei attracted only a few hundred, was an indication that Taiwan's public accepted the deal, wanted to know more details or believed the government was deaf to protests.

The pact with China, known as the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA), is expected to boost the island's $390 billion export-led economy.