A legislative aide delegation was forced to cancel a plan to travel to China recently after Beijing refused to issue entry permits to some delegation members, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Vice Chairman Chiu Tai-san (
According to Chiu, Beijing authorities denied permits to some staffers of the Legislative Yuan's legal affairs bureau. Chiu said the MAC is unaware of the reasons for Beijing's entry permit snubs. He declined to comment on media speculation that Beijing has decided to suppress engagement with Taiwan's "pan-green" politicians after President Chen Shui-bian (
Chiu said that although Beijing has been vocal in opposing Taiwan's independence, it has yet to formulate concrete steps for a campaign to snub pan-green politicians.
"Against this backdrop, some lower-level Chinese officials would rather adopt a tough stance than a soft one in handling cross-strait exchange affairs, to avoid being blamed by their superiors," Chiu explained.
Moreover, Chiu said, since the Chinese Communist Party will soon hold the fourth plenary session of its 16th-term Central Committee, working-level Chinese officials are believed to be reluctant to handle any sensitive Taiwan-related affairs.
Quoting MAC tallies, Chiu said the number of Chinese professionals coming to Taiwan dropped slightly between March and May, probably because of Taiwan's political climate. Nevertheless, he added, the number of Chinese professionals coming to Taiwan for cultural, commercial and social exchanges rebounded to the normal level between June and July.
Chinese academics often travel to Taiwan during the summer to attend seminars or conduct research But this summer, the number of Chinese think tank members traveling to Taiwan has declined.
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