China is trying to undermine President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) while seeking to improve its image by welcoming Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) on a landmark visit yesterday, analysts said.
The visit by Lien comes with relations between Beijing and Taipei at a virtual standstill with Chen showing no signs of backing down from his independence leanings since being re-elected last year.
In addition to laying out the welcome mat for Lien, China has also invited People First Party Chairman James Soong (
"It's a way of pushing Chen into a corner," said Gilles Guiheux, director of the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China in Hong Kong.
"They're trying to say `how come we can have a dialogue with all these other political parties but only this bad guy refuses to talk?'" Guiheux said.
Experts, however, said Lien's trip signals more of a shift in Taiwanese politics than a warming in cross-strait ties.
"Beijing has all along tried to draw Taiwanese political parties to its side. What's changed is that now these opposition parties are willing to come," said Timothy Wong (
Opposition leaders previously shied away from stepping foot in China to avoid appearing to kowtow to Beijing, but now see political benefits in trying to mitigate tensions between the two sides, analysts said.
"The KMT's main purpose for coming here is to promote itself ahead of elections," said Wu Nengyuan (
"The KMT feels that if it can be seen as improving relations with China, then it can get support and recognition from Taiwanese people," Wu said.
No concrete progress, however, is expected.
Chen and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) initially opposed Lien's visit, accusing the KMT of being a "communist propaganda tool," especially after Beijing passed an "Anti-Secession" Law last month.
However Chen later reversed his position, reportedly following pressure from Washington, but warned Lien against signing any agreements with Beijing without Taipei's official approval.
Both the Chinese Communist Party and KMT will capitalize on the historical significance of the visit -- the highest level fence-mending effort between two parties which were previously bitter enemies, analysts said.
Through the visit, Beijing will try to woo Taiwanese people and remind them of the benefits of accepting China's stance that Taiwan belongs to China and should be unified.
It will discuss with Lien potential preferential treatment for Taiwan, such as tariff-free imports for farmers who want to sell produce and flowers to China.
They will also likely discuss the possibility of having direct chartered cargo flights to help Taiwanese investors in China speed up shipments and the possibility of allowing Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan.
Beijing will also use the visit to show it is doing its part to achieve what they call "peaceful reunification," analysts said.
It suffered widespread condemnation after passing the Anti-Secession Law.
"This visit is to confirm they're willing to resolve the issue through peaceful means," Guiheux said.
At the very least, Beijing hopes it will weaken Chen and the pro-independence forces.
"If Lien Chan and James Soong can come to mainland China and can really bring peace and stability while the other side only makes the situation worse, then Taiwanese people will clearly see which side is better," Wu said.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS