The top Chinese official in charge of Taiwan policy this week said that Beijing must gain dominance in cross-strait relations and firmly support “patriotic pro-reunification forces” in Taiwan.
All Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials must “firmly grasp the initiative and dominance in cross-strait relations” to advance the “great cause of national reunification across the Taiwan Strait,” Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧) said at the Taiwan Work Conference, China’s annual event outling policies on Taiwan.
Wang also reiterated the need to adhere to the “one China principle” and the so-called “1992 consensus,” to support Taiwanese compatriots who firmly support “patriotic reunification” and to “resolutely crack down on Taiwanese independence separatist forces” to deepen cross-strait integrated development.
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
International analysts have said that China would put off its full invasion of Taiwan until next year — also known as the Davidson window — due to domestic unrest intensified by a sluggish economy, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) massive purges of military commanders and political elites, as well as its geopolitical frictions with countries in the region and the US.
Wang this year took a softer tone regarding Taiwan and rhetorically revisited “peaceful cross-strait development,” which was completely removed from last year’s work conference report.
This adjustment might signal an intent to ease cross-strait tensions, but it is merely a strategic “united front” act, using a “peace” narrative to disguise its desire to “dominate” cross-strait interactions, rather than a fundamental policy shift.
It comes at a critical time ahead of the meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump in April, as China adjusts its external rhetoric to avoid putting the two superpowers at loggerheads over Taiwan — a situation that might stimulate more US aid and arms sales to Taiwan.
Wang’s rhetoric targeted Taiwan’s nine-in-one local elections in November, and was consistent with Chinese interventions designed to benefit pro-China candidates, who are considered “patriots” promoting cross-strait unification.
China’s ultimate goal of “unifying” Taiwan has never changed, as Wang also said that all cross-strait interactions should follow the “overall strategy of the CCP in the new era to resolve the Taiwan issue,” which regards “national reunification” as an inevitable element of China’s “great rejuvenation.”
The CCP’s support of “pro-unification forces” in Taiwan is also an acknowledgement that China intends to sow division by cultivating “patriots” who promote unification.
It should be noted that right before the conference, the KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wen recently stated that her planned first overseas trip would be China, and if the KMT returns to power, it will promote a "cross-strait peace framework" to advance cross-strait relations.
Wang also has met with a KMT delegation led by KMT Deputy Chairman Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) in Beijing to boost cross-strait cooperation between the CCP and the KMT under the so-called “one-China” framework.
As the opposition party blocks budgets to weaken Taiwan’s defense capabilities, echoing China’s complaints regarding US military aid, the government and the public need to take precautions to avoid further collusion between the CCP and the KMT.
Another lesson that should not be overlooked is the situation in Hong Kong.
While Wang instructed “patriotic reunification forces” in Taiwan to advance cross-strait unification, the Hong Kong authority released a white paper titled Hong Kong: Safeguarding China’s National Security Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems, emphasizing that Beijing has a “fundamental responsibility” for national security in the territory.
Ironically, the paper was issued just one day after a Hong Kong court sentenced pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai (黎智英) to 20 years imprisonment, the harshest punishment so far under Hong Kong’s National Security Law.
That has further proved that the so-called “one country, two systems” with “ patriots governing Hong Kong” has failed to secure freedom in the territory, instead leading to complete Chinese domination.
For Taiwan, it is crucial to see through China’s united front rhetoric. What could truly determine the nation’s future is not Beijing’s chameleon moves, but how Taiwan consolidates internal consensus and deepens cooperation with democratic partners to safeguard the country’s sustainability.
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