Beijing’s latest wave of economic pressure on Taiwan, following its military exercises around the nation shortly after President William Lai (賴清德) took office, would likely continue until the middle of this month to balance its stance on Taiwan, academics said.
China on Friday announced a plan to suspend preferential tariff rates for on 134 Taiwanese imports that had been part of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), effective from Saturday next week.
The move was prompted by Taipei’s refusal to acknowledge the so-called “1992 consensus” and perceived efforts to promote Taiwanese independence, which had “severely undermined the foundation for cross-strait negotiations and the ECFA’s implementation,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said.
Photo: Dado Ruvic, Reuters
Beijing’s latest economic measures, along with the military exercises around Taiwan on May 23 and 24 were a part of a series of “expected” actions in response to Lai’s inaugural speech on May 20, Taiwanese academics specializing in cross-strait relations said.
These measures “are completely within the expectations” of analysts and Taiwan’s high-level government officials, said Chang Wu-ueh (張五岳), an associate professor at Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of China Studies.
Chang said it was “inevitable” for Beijing to escalate pressure on Taiwan after Lai’s inauguration to express dissatisfaction with what it deemed a “provocative” act by Taipei’s new leader.
While Beijing had no expectations for Lai’s inaugural speech, it would not have anticipated him making such a clear distinction between the two sides on his first day in office, Institute for National Policy Research deputy head Kuo Yu-jen (郭育仁) said, referring to Lai’s speech where he said “the Republic of China (ROC) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are not subordinate to each other.”
Kuo said that while former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) had made similar statements during her time in office, she did so mainly in National Day addresses.
The meaning of such a statement varies depending on the timing and occasion, Kuo said, adding that Beijing might have taken it in “the most offensive” light.
Lai also mentioned in his speech that “We have a nation insofar as we have sovereignty... Persons possessing the nationality of the Republic of China shall be citizens of the Republic of China.”
This statement might have been interpreted by Beijing as yet another “two-state theory,” reminiscent of one first proposed by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) in 1999 to characterize Taiwan and China as two different jurisdictions, Kuo said.
Nevertheless, both academics said that Beijing’s pressure would start to ease after the middle of the month, as China is to host this year’s Straits Forum in Xiamen and would balance its tough stance on Taiwan.
China would not suspend all tax concessions for Taiwanese goods under the ECFA or terminate the bilateral agreement entirely, as it is in Beijing’s interest to continue promoting economic integration with Taiwan, Kuo said.
In practice, Beijing would unveil new measures to enhance people-to-people exchanges, including implementing policies in favor of Taiwanese conducting business in China and easing restrictions for Chinese students and tourists to study in or visit Taiwan, he said.
Cross-strait relations are not Lai’s main focus, Kuo said, adding that the new president did not seem eager to make a breakthrough, as long as the “status quo” could be maintained.
On the other hand, Chang said that Taipei had not made any policy adjustments to its ban on Chinese imports, and would likely continue this stance to avoid appearing as if it was “giving in” to Beijing’s pressure, Chang said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and