A meeting on Sunday between Beijing officials and a delegation of eight Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and independent local government heads was likely orchestrated by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), an official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The group met Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Yu Zhengsheng (俞正聲) and Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) in Beijing.
The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) requires local government heads to apply for a travel permit to China one week in advance, and the delegates submitted their applications together, which implied that the meeting had been planned for a considerable time, the official said.
A joint visit to Beijing should have been a challenge for local government heads to accomplish on their own initiative and resources, because officials at county and special municipality levels do not have guaranteed access to channels of communication with Chinese officials, the official said.
However, a meeting organized by the TAO would be able to guarantee the necessary access to high-level Chinese officials, as well as create the parameters for what could and could not be discussed, with the group “not having to do anything beyond show up,” the official said.
In response to the delegation’s call for expanding cross-strait tourism and cultural exchanges, Beijing issued an eight-point statement in less than a day, the official said.
“The clever and speedy way in which the meeting was handled shows that the TAO had invested heavily in it,” the official said.
The suspension of cross-strait communications that followed President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) inauguration put pressure on the TAO and other Chinese officials in charge of cross-strait affairs, and they require tangible results to show to their superiors, the official said.
“The delegation’s trip to Beijing is the direct result of internal pressure, and the TAO did it to promote united front political warfare and to produce results for their superiors,” the official said.
During the meeting on Sunday, Yu told the delegation that “the mainland adamantly supports the ‘one China’ principle that is the core of the ‘1992 consensus’ and is intractably opposed Taiwanese independence. This is the mainland’s bottom line.”
The delegation’s KMT members are Hsinchu County Commissioner Chiu Ching-chun (邱鏡淳), Miaoli County Commissioner Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌), Nantou County Commissioner Lin Ming-chen (林明溱), Lienchiang County Commissioner Liu Tseng-ying (劉增應), New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Yeh Hui-ching (葉惠青) and Taitung County Deputy Commissioner Chen Chin-hu (陳金虎), while the independents are Hualien County Commissioner Fu Kun-chi and Kinmen County Deputy Commissioner Wu Cheng-tien (吳成典).
“Recognition for the ‘1992 consensus’ is the proviso required for exchanges between Taiwanese and Chinese local governments,” Zhang said.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted to making up in 2000 — refers to a supposed understanding reached during talks in 1992 that both Taiwan and China acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what that means.
Beijing’s response to the delegation appears to be a commitment or administrative measure and not an agreement, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday.
“The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area forbids reaching any agreements with China that are not authorized by the Mainland Affairs Council, and any person involved in an unauthorized agreement would be held accountable upon returning to Taiwan,” he said.
Tourism Bureau Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) said any initiative by central or local officials that encourage tourism should be viewed positively.
Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member, slammed the delegation, saying that no conditions should be attached to cross-strait tourism, and that China’s preferential treatment for pan-blue political leaders risks antagonizing pan-green voters in their areas.
Premier Lin Chuan (林全) said he was glad to see any friendly interaction between Taiwan and China, but no political preconditions should be set on cross-strait dialogue, and Taiwanese participants must guard national sovereignty and dignity against any harm that could arise during exchanges with Beijing.
Lin Ming-chen told a news briefing that he went to Beijing to enhance tourism and export opportunities, and denied having discussed any political agenda or harming national sovereignty.
Additional reporting by Chang Hsieh-sheng
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS