A house divided cannot stand. Sadly, such is the situation confronting Taiwan as Beijing shores up its “united front” tactics to undermine the authority of Taipei.
The latest case in point is the first Cross-Strait Private Sector Roundtable Forum that opened in Beijing yesterday.
Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀), who heads a 60-strong Taiwanese delegation to the annual event, said he hopes the forum — spanning several fields including economics, technology, culture and agriculture — would serve as a platform for cross-strait communications, dialogue and cooperation, and provide opportunities for China-based Taiwanese businesspeople planning to tap into Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Nothing is unattainable as long as both sides of the Strait cooperate, Chang told the forum, trumpeting the goal of “cross-strait economic collaboration, so that [we can] make money from the world together.”
Indeed, all sectors are encouraged to explore business opportunities, and flourishing cross-strait exchanges are certainly to everyone’s benefit, as they help promote harmony, defuse tension and enhance mutual understanding.
However, it is a different story when one side secretly tries to sow division in the other.
Beijing has suspended communications with Taipei since President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) inauguration in May 2016, blaming the Tsai administration’s refusal to recognize the so-called “1992 consensus” that embodies the “one China” principle.
While Beijing refuses to engage in dialogue with Taipei, it engages in various activities with individuals and organizations outside the government to marginalize the Tsai administration.
The forum, for example, is but another “united front” ploy by China using its economic resources to entice Taiwanese under the guise of goodwill when in fact its ultimate goal is to undermine the authority of Taiwan’s elected government.
China has not forgone its objective of bringing Taiwan into its fold — by use of military force if necessary — and does not refrain from mixing politics with arts, sports, culture or any other matter to stifle Taiwan’s international space.
Its latest deception at the forum is not surprising, as its malicious intentions toward Taiwan are nothing new.
However, what needs serious consideration is the question why some Taiwanese willingly play along with Beijing’s schemes against themselves?
The forum’s Taiwanese participants’ “collaboration” with Beijing does not constitute a healthy cross-strait exchange, as it ultimately serves to fulfill China’s hidden agenda of bypassing the Taiwanese government and dealing with non-governmental actors.
Chang and his ilk have said that the forum aims to serve the well-being of China-based Taiwanese businesspeople, but the truth is that they are nothing but tools in Beijing’s political maneuvering against Taiwan.
Regrettable would be an understatement to describe the extent to which some Taiwanese willingly play into China’s hand.
Unless Taiwanese stand united, they will always be vulnerable to China’s ever-changing “united front” tricks.
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