On May 27, 2022, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) — still a mayoral candidate at the time — suggested three prerequisites for the continuation of the Shanghai-Taipei Twin City Forum: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could no longer harass Taiwan, must show goodwill toward the nation, and must acknowledge that Taiwan and China are equals.
Just two-and-a-half years later, these commitments have been abandoned completely. This has led to a loss of trust in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) principles and ability to handle cross-strait relations.
The first prerequisite, that the CCP can no longer harass Taiwan, was broken at the very start. Not only have the CCP’s constant military drills failed to cease or even diminish, but now even government vessels, China Coast Guard ships and surveillance balloons have been deployed. China has also surrounded Taiwan in a posture indicating that military exercises are imminent. Even while the KMT and Chiang bury their heads in the sand, ignoring the CCP’s aggression, they cannot hide the reality that the rest of the international community is watching carefully, warning China not to take advantage of the situation or cause trouble.
The second prerequisite of showing goodwill toward Taiwan has also completely failed. Prior to the forum, there have been issues with a Chinese university group invited by the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation and the Cross-Strait CEO Summit. The former used demeaning and offensive language — such as referring to Taiwan’s baseball team as “China, Taipei” and a visit to Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls’ High School being headlined as “a monk entering the den of spider demons” — during their trip in Taiwan. The latter openly encouraged Taiwanese businesses to “acknowledge the one China principle and oppose Taiwanese independence” while subtly encouraging Taiwan to “join the red supply chain.” Furthermore, from APEC to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and from Paraguay to Lithuania, China’s continued suppression of Taiwan’s diplomacy has sparked international outrage. Just how far are Chiang and the KMT willing to take their “genius” interpretations of China’s malice as “goodwill”?
The third prerequisite has been reduced to nothing more than a joke. Shanghai’s other international “sister cities,” such as New York, Marseille, Barcelona and Istanbul, always possess a “mayor-to-mayor” relationship. However, the Chiang administration’s six months of groveling to China only resulted in a visit from Shanghai Vice Mayor Hua Yuan (華源) — the youngest in the city’s history. Chiang even insists on personally greeting Hua upon his arrival.
According to media reports, the Taipei City Government also requested that China refrain from sending out People’s Liberation Army aircraft or vessels during the forum, which Beijing refused.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office also said that referring to Taiwan’s baseball team as the “China, Taipei” team was completely fine.
There is no end to China’s belittling — it lacks even a semblance of equality. Chiang, of all people, should speak up in protest of this — so why has he suddenly gone silent?
Just one forum is enough to expose the hypocrisy and fragility of the KMT’s so-called cross-strait prerequisites of “equality, goodwill and reciprocity.” In the face of the CCP’s uninterrupted military harassment of Taiwan and Shanghai’s condescension toward Chiang, Taiwanese have seen for themselves the KMT’s pitiful obsequiousness. As China continues to exploit, humiliate and repeatedly slap the KMT’s face, party intellectuals such as Chiang and KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) have simply turned their heads to allow the CCP to hit the other side. If this goes on, Taiwan would never gain respect from China or achieve true peace — instead, the KMT would continue to bring shame upon itself and the country.
Jethro Wang is a former secretary at the Mainland Affairs Council.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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