New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) has proposed establishing a representative office for the city in Beijing to facilitate cross-strait exchanges.
Chu has said that he is open to discussion and negotiation of his proposal, but in responding to a statement by the Mainland Affairs Council on Monday that it was inappropriate for local governments to deal with such matters, he maintained that providing a service to Taiwanese expatriates living in China can be “carried out in accordance with the framework of 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).”
“This matter does not necessarily need to be viewed purely from a political perspective,” he added.
According to Chu’s logic, a representative office in Beijing would extend its reach to local governments across the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and could be used to deal with central government and city government-level problems.
However, Chu’s plan has a flaw.
Macau has the “Office of the Macau Special Administrative Region in Beijing.” So, if New Taipei City established a representative office in Beijing, it would be nothing short of tacit recognition that the PRC exercises jurisdiction over the special municipality.
By extension, it would indirectly recognize the municipality as Chinese sovereign territory.
Chu is a former chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT); he should therefore be fully aware of the political effect of such a proposal.
If his stance produces the desired response and attracts financial rewards, other mayors and county commissioners wishing to receive favors from Beijing would likely compete to outdo each other.
Under such a situation, the central government’s executive authority would be usurped — and the nation would be dismembered.
In 2015, Chu said that “both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China,” an opinion even more toadying to Beijing’s position than the so-called “1992 consensus.”
Is Chu seriously arguing that he should become a Chinese regional governor?
As one of Taiwan’s leading politicians, Chu really should learn to watch his words.
Lin Shiou-jeng is an associate professor at Chung Chou University of Science and Technology.
Translated by Edward Jones
Congratulations to China’s working class — they have officially entered the “Livestock Feed 2.0” era. While others are still researching how to achieve healthy and balanced diets, China has already evolved to the point where it does not matter whether you are actually eating food, as long as you can swallow it. There is no need for cooking, chewing or making decisions — just tear open a package, add some hot water and in a short three minutes you have something that can keep you alive for at least another six hours. This is not science fiction — it is reality.
A foreign colleague of mine asked me recently, “What is a safe distance from potential People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force’s (PLARF) Taiwan targets?” This article will answer this question and help people living in Taiwan have a deeper understanding of the threat. Why is it important to understand PLA/PLARF targeting strategy? According to RAND analysis, the PLA’s “systems destruction warfare” focuses on crippling an adversary’s operational system by targeting its networks, especially leadership, command and control (C2) nodes, sensors, and information hubs. Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, noted in his 15 May 2025 Sedona Forum keynote speech that, as
In a world increasingly defined by unpredictability, two actors stand out as islands of stability: Europe and Taiwan. One, a sprawling union of democracies, but under immense pressure, grappling with a geopolitical reality it was not originally designed for. The other, a vibrant, resilient democracy thriving as a technological global leader, but living under a growing existential threat. In response to rising uncertainties, they are both seeking resilience and learning to better position themselves. It is now time they recognize each other not just as partners of convenience, but as strategic and indispensable lifelines. The US, long seen as the anchor
Kinmen County’s political geography is provocative in and of itself. A pair of islets running up abreast the Chinese mainland, just 20 minutes by ferry from the Chinese city of Xiamen, Kinmen remains under the Taiwanese government’s control, after China’s failed invasion attempt in 1949. The provocative nature of Kinmen’s existence, along with the Matsu Islands off the coast of China’s Fuzhou City, has led to no shortage of outrageous takes and analyses in foreign media either fearmongering of a Chinese invasion or using these accidents of history to somehow understand Taiwan. Every few months a foreign reporter goes to
RSS