Taiwanese should not attend the Straits Forum in China, as Beijing might use the annual forum to intensify its “united front” campaign against Taiwan, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Wednesday.
China has been using the event as part of a major propaganda campaign against Taiwan — the “united front” — which aims to persuade people who favor Beijing to exercise influence over other Taiwanese, the council said in a statement, adding that the Straits Forum has become a platform for Beijing to “divide” the people of Taiwan.
The warning came after China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) said that the 14th Straits Forum is scheduled to open in Xiamen in China’s Fujian Province in the middle of this month.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
TAO spokesman Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) said that the forum would follow the concept that “both sides across the Taiwan Strait are one family,” adhere to the aims of being “civil, grassroots and extensive,” and continue efforts to “expand non-governmental exchanges and deepen integrated development” among people in China and Taiwan.
Through these efforts, the forum is expected to continue to play a positive role in promoting the “spiritual harmony” of the people across the Taiwan Strait, Ma said.
While the TAO did not disclose a timetable for the forum, reports citing unnamed sources said that it would be from July 12 to 14, with the major conference to be on July 13.
The council said that Taipei would continue to prohibit central government officials from attending the forum, and discourage local government officials and private organizations from taking part.
To help protect the interests of Taiwanese, the council urged people who conduct exchanges across the Taiwan Strait not to participate in activities involving the “one country, two systems” mechanism or enter “democratic negotiations” defined by China.
The forum was usually held in May or June before the COVID-19 pandemic began, but was postponed to late September in 2020 amid virus restrictions.
Last year, it was in December, when Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) addressed the opening ceremony in a pre-recorded video.
In his speech, Chu vowed to abide by the KMT’s charter and platform to push for peaceful development of the relationship across the Taiwan Strait.
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