Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Wednesday called for the mobilization of “patriots” in Taiwan and abroad to fend off pro-Taiwanese independence efforts in a meeting tied to China’s highest profile annual political gathering.
Xi met with the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (中國國民黨革命委員會), a political group that is based in China and distinct from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Xi urged the group, an ally of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), to unite “all patriots from home and abroad, in and out of Taiwan” to step up opposition to Taiwanese independence and to advance the “peaceful reunification” of China.
Photo: AFP
The phrase “peaceful reunification,” widely seen as a benign sign of China’s policy approach toward Taiwan, was missing from this year’s government work report earlier this week.
The report did pledge to implement the CCP’s Taiwan strategy, signaling that Xi’s words are a more authoritative guide to China’s attitude toward the nation.
Xi during the meeting called for deeper cooperation with Taiwan in technology, agriculture, culture and youth development, China’s state news agency Xinhua said in a readout on his meeting.
It was held on the sidelines of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a component of the so-called “two sessions” annual gathering of China’s government.
The CCP typically utilizes a dual narrative when dealing with Taiwan, National Policy Foundation associate researcher Lee Cheng-hsiu (李正修) told Radio Free Asia.
Beijing would emphasize “reunification” or “opposing independence” depending on the situation, Lee said.
“Due to the current lack of mutual trust in cross-strait relations, the DPP’s third consecutive presidential term is about to begin. So in this situation, the CPP will emphasize ‘opposing independence’ in its Taiwan policy for at least the next four years,” he said.
The harder line on Taiwan taken up by Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday does not conflict with Xi’s softer comments during the Wednesday meeting, because Xi leaves the tougher rhetoric to his underlings, enabling Beijing to maintain a two-pronged approach, Lee added.
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