At the same time as more than 30 military aircraft were detected near Taiwan — one of the highest daily incursions this year — with some flying as close as 37 nautical miles (69kms) from the northern city of Keelung, China announced a limited and selected relaxation of restrictions on Taiwanese agricultural exports and tourism, upon receiving a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) delegation led by KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崑萁). This demonstrates the two-faced gimmick of China’s “united front” strategy.
Despite the strongest earthquake to hit the nation in 25 years striking Hualien on April 3, which caused nine deaths and was followed by numerous aftershocks, Fu, who represents Hualien, insisted on leading a delegation of 17 KMT lawmakers to Beijing from April 26 to 28 and met with senior Chinese officials.
China’s partial reopening, which KMT lawmakers have smugly touted, does not compare in any which way to the damage inflicted by its unilateral bans on cross-strait tourism and agricultural trade in recent years.
Beijing has banned Chinese independent tourism to Taiwan since 2019, and group tours since 2020, despite Taiwan resuming independent travel to China after the COVID-19 pandemic and announcing that it is ready to resume cross-strait group tours as long as China reciprocates the measure.
However, Beijing this time has only permitted tourism from China’s Fujian Province to Taiwan’s outlying island of Matsu, but not Kinmen or Penghu — the destinations that more than 90 percent of Chinese tourists would visit via the “small three links.”
China also announced that Fujian residents would be allowed to visit Taiwan proper once express ferry services between Fujian’s Pingtan County and Taiwan resumed.
It also urged Taiwan to resume direct air flights between Taiwan and 30 major Chinese cities. However, the load factor of direct flights is very low because of China’s travel restrictions.
As for the resumption of imports of Taiwanese pomelos, the Chinese authorities said it is based on “scientific assessments in accordance with China’s laws and regulations.”
However, China has never dealt with Taiwan on the basis of international scientific rules or through established mechanisms, but only based on political manipulation, as shown in unilateral bans on Taiwanese products and lifting of restrictions when pro-China politicians visit.
China’s openness is not only limited, but is also based on political prerequisites, which was evident when Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧) told Fu to uphold China’s version of the so-called “1992 consensus” and the “one China principle” and to foil “attempts to split Taiwan and China apart” — a clear denial of the free will and self-determination of Taiwanese.
Some people and groups which the KMT delegation met with even called for the abolition of the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透) and to amend regulations on national security.
The KMT’s so-called “ice-breaking” trip could be the tip of the iceberg that risks Taiwan’s sovereignty and security.
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