This week’s think tank forum between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) was a political ploy targeting the US to foster the illusion of changing public opinion in Taiwan and that the “Taiwan issue” is up for negotiation, cross-strait experts said yesterday.
The CCP-KMT forum was also a tool used to foster the image that China can influence and even claim to represent Taiwanese public opinion, former Tunghai University Center for Mainland China and Regional Development Research deputy director Hung Pu-chao (洪浦釗) said at a forum hosted by the university.
China’s ultimate goal is to “unify” with Taiwan, regardless of how it is accomplished, while the KMT is focused on returning to power, center director Lin Tzu-li (林子立) said.
Photo courtesy of the KMT
However, seeking to trade the nation’s sovereignty for a return to power is a trade-off with consequences that Taiwanese society cannot stand, Lin said.
The “true motive” of the forum was to influence how Taiwanese perceive cross-strait relations, Lin said, adding that it should be the sector the government and the public should be most on-guard against.
As Taiwanese businesspeople are moving away from the Chinese market in tandem with European and US companies, Taiwan stands to benefit from the global supply chain restructuring, Lin said, adding that US trade talks could offer Taiwan’s traditional industries the opportunity to achieve an equal market share with Japan and South Korea.
Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the forum was just a front to discuss politically charged topics.
Commenting on the five aspects the KMT and the CCP think tanks said they agreed to work on, Shen said tourism was entirely in China’s court, adding that he was reserved about medical collaboration, as the Chinese investment environment and high-end markets are highly uncertain.
The main item was the collaboration on emerging industries, which might lead to another massive Taiwanese investment spree in China, Shen said.
National Chung Cheng University Department of Political Science professor Tsai Jung-hsiang (蔡榮祥) said the forum reminded him of how the Nazi party sought to dissolve Austria from within by cultivating pro-Nazi parties within Austria and leaning heavily on “national identification” rhetoric.
Tsai said that the so-called “1992 consensus” was a similar ploy, aiming to make the Taiwan issue an internal Chinese issue to reduce the legitimacy of international intervention.
The “1992 consensus” — a term that former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the CCP that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
National Chengchi University Institute of International Relations assistant researcher Tseng Wei-feng (曾偉?) said that the forum had a clear strategic goal to show the US that China can still influence Taiwanese politics ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in April.
China hopes to weaken Taiwan’s “systemic advantage” in international politics by attempting to block arms sales, while talking with other nations regarding tariffs and supply chain collaborations, Tseng said.
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