The government’s denial of permits for Shanghai Municipal Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Director Jin Mei (金梅) and nine Chinese journalists to attend the Twin-City Forum in Taipei next week were to protest against and express disapproval of China’s 22-point set of “guidelines” to penalize “diehard” Taiwanese independence separatists, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.
Beijing on June 21 unveiled the “22 guidelines” that allow its courts to try “Taiwan independence separatists” in absentia, with the death sentence applicable.
The government must review permit applications based on the cross-strait situation, the MAC said.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office took unfriendly action against Taiwan by announcing the “22 guidelines,” as well as setting up a mailbox for reporting people, the council said.
China’s measures have adversely affected cross-strait interactions and exchanges, and pose a serious risk to the safety of Taiwanese visiting China, which could not be overlooked by the central government, it said.
“The government cannot remain indifferent,” it added.
“This [denial of permits] serves as an expression of protest and dissatisfaction, while also demanding [that the Chinese authorities engage in] direct dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected government,” it said.
Attendance by the Chinese reporters at the 15th Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum on Tuesday is not necessary, as there are eight Chinese media firms with 12 reporters based in Taiwan, “which is deemed sufficient,” the MAC said.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) called the MAC’s decision regrettable and emphasized the need for confidence in Taiwan’s democratic resilience.
Taipei City Government spokesman Yin Wei (殷瑋) separately confirmed that not all of the members of the delegation of 102 from Shanghai had their permit applications approved.
Beijing did not disapprove of any delegates selected to join Chiang in a visit to Shanghai for the forum last year, but its openness was not reciprocated by Taiwan’s central government this year, Yin said, adding that the scrutiny contradicted the central government’s aim to facilitate cross-strait exchanges and dialogue.
Taiwan is in a difficult position, in which it must assert its stance on cross-strait issues while facilitating dialogue, but the central government should have been more supportive of the city government’s efforts to sustain dialogue, he said.
The central authorities should justify the decision with good reason, especially as Chinese media have been blocked by the government, even though people are confident in their democratic resilience and freedom of the press, he said.
Asked whether the permit denials would affect subsequent cross-strait exchanges, Yin said that the issue should be properly handled by the central government.
While the Executive Yuan has outlined its policy of comprehensive evaluation of Chinese coercion, as opposed to relying on single indicators, the city government is seeking a more specific definition of “coercion” and its scope, he said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Liu Tsai-wei (柳采葳) said the MAC could not justify its denial of the permits.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government belittles Taiwanese, as it believes that people exposed to China-related information are subject to “united front” tactics, Liu said.
The DPP has trampled the democracy and freedom it touts, which is why its members are sometimes called “green communists,” she said.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Chien Shu-pei (簡舒培) said she believes the MAC conducted the review in accordance with regulations and rejected Chinese media workers for a reason, especially after many Taiwanese politicians have been named by the TAO as potentially deserving punishment.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua and CNA
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