An influential Chinese academic’s proposal to penalize Taiwanese businesspeople in China for supporting Taiwanese independence or the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has raised alarm in cross-strait circles, commentators said.
At a joint meeting of the Chinese National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Peking University’s institute of Taiwan studies head Li Yihu (李義虎) said China should punish “two-faced Taiwanese businesspeople” for activities or statements supporting the DPP.
This would be accomplished by establishing “a reward-and-punishment mechanism” that would track the statements and actions of Taiwanese businesspeople in China and rate them accordingly, he said.
Li is considered a bellwether figure for Beijing’s policy toward Taiwan due to his status in Chinese academia and contacts within the Chinese government.
A person with knowledge of cross-strait relations who wished to remain anonymous said Li’s remarks were like a “red terror” that would be counter-productive to the development of cross-strait ties.
The DPP enjoys a huge majorities in the executive, legislative and local levels of government, the source said, adding that Taiwanese businesspeople, commercial associations and other entities could hardly expect to distance themselves from the DPP.
Corporate figures must engage in dialogue with the government, offer policy input and inform the administration on economic sentiment, the source said.
“Would [Beijing] consider those exchanges pro-Taiwanese independence?” the source added.
Beijing has been pushing for greater cultural exchanges between Taiwanese and Chinese young people, and the joint meeting in which Li spoke had exchanges between young people on its agenda, while the Taiwan Affairs Office began establishing business start-up platforms for Taiwanese and Chinese young people, the source said.
Li’s proposed “political censorship” of Taiwanese businesspeople is likely to engender a negative perception of China and prove counterproductive to the success of the programs, the source said.
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