China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) on Dec. 28 announced its new director: Song Tao (宋濤). Song is the former head of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) International Liaison Department, a position in charge of the party’s work overseas.
Many have not heard much about Song, but those who have paid attention to the political situation in Northeast Asia should know a thing or two about him.
A few years ago, Song became known as the Chinese diplomat snubbed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. He made his reputation after Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) sent him to Pyongyang. Song arrived in North Korea right after former US president Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing in November 2017. Soon after, rumors began circulating that Kim had given Song the cold shoulder.
Before long, Air China suspended flights between Beijing and Pyongyang, citing low demand, and a few days later, the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge across the Yalu River was closed for maintenance. At the time, the relationship between China and North Korea looked far from promising.
In April 2018, Song traveled to Pyongyang again. In contrast with his 2017 visit, Kim graciously greeted him and held a banquet for the Chinese delegation. In April 2020, when it was rumored that Kim was seriously ill, Song was the person in charge of leading a medical team to check on him. Since then, Song has been acknowledged as a diplomat specializing in Northeast Asian affairs.
Now, Song has been appointed to an entirely different field, expected to manage China’s intention to “unify” with Taiwan. His appointment has people wondering: What tricks are up China’s sleeve?
One explanation is that when Song was at the CCP’s International Liaison Department, he worked with then-Chinese minister of foreign affairs Wang Yi (王毅), Chinese Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe (魏鳳和) and Liu Jieyi (劉結一), Song’s predecessor at the TAO. Their backgrounds and ways of handling political affairs share some common ground.
Another explanation is that Song graduated from Fujian Normal University and worked in Fujian Province for more than 20 years. It is believed that he should know well the complexities in and around the Taiwan Strait. Or, perhaps, it was all because of Xi. Song was chosen by Xi, and that explains everything.
No matter what the rationale was, people should congratulate Song on his appointment. Hopefully, the situation in the Taiwan Strait would stabilize as soon as possible. Regrettably, peace still seems an unattainable goal.
Shih Ya-hsuan is an associate professor in National Kaohsiung Normal University’s Department of Geography.
Translated by Liu Yi-hung
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