There is no distinction between doves and hawks in Beijing’s dealings with Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Katharine Chang (張小月) said yesterday, after a lawmaker asked whether a recent leadership change at major Chinese think tanks dealing with Taiwan indicates a transition from dovish tactics to more hawkish ones.
Speaking at a question-and-answer session at the legislature, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) said that China’s National Society of Taiwan Studies and the Institute of Taiwan Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences recently had new heads appointed to lead the organizations.
“The new heads are different from their predecessors, who were academics or experts who have studied Taiwan’s economic, social and cultural affairs for a long time,” Chiu said.
Dai Bingguo (戴秉國), the new chairman of the National Society of Taiwan Studies, “is a veteran diplomat specializing in Soviet Union and Eastern European issues, and is a former Chinese deputy minister of foreign affairs, a former director of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party’s [CCP] Central Committee and a former director of the National Security Leadership Group of the CCP Central Committee,” Chiu said, adding that Dai’s previous positions has no direct connections to cross-strait relations.
Yang Mingjie (楊明杰), the new chairman of the Institute of Taiwan Studies “is a counter-terrorism expert specializing in Asia-Pacific security and US-China relations,” Chiu added.
Chiu said he feels that the selection of people with foreign and security backgrounds over “dovish academics who have studied and frequently made exchanges with Taiwan signifies a shift to a more hawkish stance.”
Chang said the Beijing team that deals with Taiwan operates at a central level and consists of many members, including those from the Taiwan Affairs Office, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the military and national security agencies.
“China places its Taiwan policy on the same level as its relationship with the US,” Chang said.
Chiu said the think tanks could affect Beijing’s policies toward Taiwan and that the two institutions have never before been headed by people with foreign and national security backgrounds.
“This should give us an indication on how to adjust our strategy,” he said.
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