department of National Sun Yat-Sen University followed suit. In total, 45 student organizations from 18 universities backed the call to strike. The (ROCCOC) held a press conference with representatives from 50 impacted service industries on March 26 to express their support for the trade pact. There are 122 associations covering more than 100,000 businesses within ROCCOC. Approximately 85 percent of ROCCOC's members might be impacted by the cross-strait pact. ROCCOC chairman Lai Chang-yi said Taiwan should not be afraid of competing with global businesses. By establishing bases in China, he stated, Taiwan's businesses have the opportunity to globalize. The Bankers Association of the Republic of China (BAROC) held a supervisors and management meeting on March 27, and the chairman of BAROC Lee Jih-Chu on behalf of all members of BAROC issued three statements to support the trade pact after the meeting. The Ministry of Economic Affairs held presentations explaining the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement at multiple universities across northern Taiwan. Some protesters feared the agreement would eventually result in the absorption of Taiwan by China, mirroring the accession of Crimea to the Russian Federation. In a speech to the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce on June 10, Premier Jiang Yi-huah criticized the movement, saying protestors were people who "complain all day long about the government" and "blame others for their failures." In China China's state-run Xinhua News Agency criticized the student-led protests for being violent. Other countries On March 24, the U.S. State Department commented on the issue, saying that the U.S. hopes discussions on the trade pact can be carried out civilly and peacefully. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, who is a founding member of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, urged Ma to ensure a non-violent, peaceful resolution: My thoughts are with Taiwanese students and other protesters expressing opposition to a proposed economic pact with China. The world is watching these courageous students. The message to President Ma is that when you try to jam a trade agreement through, people will resist. Amnesty International issued a statement on March 19 urging restraint in the police response. Overseas Taiwanese in the United States and the United Kingdom have demonstrated in support of the student movement. On March 29 and 30, rallies were held in 49 cities in 21 countries to show support for the Sunflower Movement. The BBC commented that this movement could be a further democratization of Taiwan, with