The government backs healthy and orderly cross-strait exchanges, but such arrangements should not be made with political conditions attached and never be used as leverage for political maneuvering or partisan agendas, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said yesterday.
Kuo made the remarks after China earlier in the day announced 10 new “incentive measures” for Taiwan, following a landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in Beijing on Friday.
The measures, unveiled by China’s Xinhua news agency, include plans to resume individual travel by residents of Shanghai and China’s Fujian Province to Taiwan, and to push for the “full normalization” of direct cross-strait passenger flights to facilitate travel and exchanges between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Photo: Taipei Times
China would support the resumption of flights between Taiwan and Chinese cities, such as Urumqi, Xian, Harbin, Kunming and Lanzhou, Xinhua said, adding that it would also support Kinmen County’s shared use of Xiamen Xiangan International Airport, which is still under construction.
Kinmen is an outlying county off the coast of China’s Fujian Province, with some of its islands as close as 2km from Xiamen.
Other proposals in the report included closer infrastructure links between Fujian and Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties; easier access for Taiwanese agricultural, fishery and food products to the Chinese market; and studies on building docks and berths in certain areas to serve Taiwan’s distant-water fishing vessels and facilitate the landing of their catches.
Chinese authorities would support Taiwanese small and medium-sized enterprises in China, and allow broader access on Chinese platforms for Taiwanese television dramas, documentaries and animated works deemed to have the “correct orientation” and “healthy content,” Xinhua said.
For years, China has frequently instrumentalized and weaponized cross-strait exchanges, with its so-called “measures” marked by unpredictability, Kuo said.
Such actions are often inconsistently applied — sometimes resumed, sometimes abruptly halted, and at times opened selectively under vague justifications, she said, adding that this practice has caused significant, often unpredictable damage to Taiwan’s industries, and agricultural and fishing sectors.
The 10 measures largely mirror past actions, which have been inconsistently applied, and disregard market mechanisms and international standards, Kuo said.
As in previous instances, China has bypassed established channels for dialogue with the Taiwanese government, she added.
“The key question now is whether China will once again use cross-strait issues as a tool of economic coercion and repeat its previous tactics,” she said, adding that if China is genuinely committed to advancing these initiatives, it should engage through established communication channels and negotiate directly with Taiwanese authorities to ensure arrangements that support the healthy and orderly development of cross-strait exchanges.
Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) yesterday also criticized the measures, saying that experience has repeatedly shown that this is a form of cross-strait coercion, “where exchanges are instrumentalized, and economic and trade relations are weaponized for united front tactics.”
The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday said China’s so-called “favorable” measures for Taiwan are sugarcoated poison that would cause significant losses to Taiwan’s farmers, fishers and industries.
The so-called trade concessions, which claimed to facilitate cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, are not a genuine gift pack, as they are often unilaterally withdrawn or suspended for arbitrary reasons, the council said.
The “favorable” measures for Taiwan are no different from the past measures that could not stand the test of time, it said, calling them bait-and-switch tactics that are economic coercion designed to trick and trap Taiwanese farmers and fishers.
Beijing is bypassing Taiwan’s democratically elected government while seeking to recast cross-strait relations under a KMT-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) framework and a “one China framework,” it said.
The measures are part of the political transactions between the KMT and the CCP, with the costs borne by Taiwanese, it said.
Any cross-strait matters involving Taiwanese must be negotiated between the two sides’ governments based on equality and dignity to be effective, and to safeguard people’s rights and welfare, the council said.
Any “normalized communication mechanisms” or “exchange platforms” established by the KMT and CCP bypassing state authority must not contravene the law, it added.
Beijing has weaponized cross-strait exchanges for political ends, as such policies are marked by uncertainty and selective application to specific target groups, it said.
The government has a responsibility to ensure Taiwan’s economy and industries are not exposed to such risks and prevent such policies from being used as tools for political infiltration and election interference, it added.
While the CCP has claimed to promote resumption of direct flights, “links” for Kinmen and Lienchiang, and even floated support for Kinmen sharing the Xiamen airport, such matters require government-to-government engagement, as they involve national security and public authority, the council said.
Those are cross-border infrastructure and transport issues that involve aviation safety, customs, quarantine and the movement of people, all of which require official assessment, participation and formal negotiations between governments, it said.
Beijing should not evade negotiations with the Taiwanese government for political reasons, it said.
The government supports healthy and orderly cross-strait exchanges under the core principle of safeguarding national interests, the council said, adding that any exchanges must not carry political preconditions or serve as bargaining chips in party politics.
The opposition parties should avoid facilitating such maneuvers, especially given that past “favorable measures” have been used by Beijing as tools of economic coercion against Taiwan, it added.
The council urged Beijing to face the reality that Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, acknowledge the existence of the Republic of China and resume regular dialogue with Taiwan’s legitimately elected government.
This is the proper path to promoting peace and advancing people’s welfare, it said.
An official speaking on condition of anonymity said that while the measures were widely promoted as a major gift by pro-China media outlets in Taiwan, it is, at best, a part of a “turn-on, turn-off” playbook rather than a sincere offer.
The measures are not new, but rather a repetition of past tactics, they said, adding that they are part of a long-standing “united front” script aimed at integrating Taiwan and influencing its elections.
“The CCP is setting the stage for the KMT,” the official said.
This has been the pattern for the past 20 years, they said, adding that farmers, fishers and those in the tourism sector should remain cautious, and remember painful past experiences.
Taiwan should not become reliant on such recurring political maneuvers, as they pose risks to national security, individual industries and personal interests, the official said.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu
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