The government’s policy of banning top officials of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office from entering the country remains unchanged due to a persistent lack of goodwill from Beijing, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.
MAC Deputy Chairman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) defended the government’s position in the matter in response to media queries on a Shanghai delegation attending the Taipei Lantern Festival, with a minor official of the TAO leading the group rather than the director of its Shanghai office.
Liang said that the arrangement was clearly indicated in the TAO’s application for entry to Taiwan, adding that the council did not receive an application from the Shanghai office director or deputy director.
Photo: Lin Che-yuan, Taipei Times
China’s decision to send a minor official might be related to it launching a large-scale military exercise around Taiwan last year immediately after Taipei Mayor Chiang Wen-an (蔣萬安) returned from the Shanghai-Taipei Twin City Forum in Shanghai, at which Chiang called for peace and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait.
The council in 2024 banned top TAO officials from entering Taiwan to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s issuance of a 22-point set of “guidelines” to penalize “die-hard” Taiwanese independence separatists, which included provisions allowing the death penalty, the council said.
Any policy change would need goodwill from Beijing, Liang said.
“Aside from the guidelines, China has never ceased its political and military threats against Taiwan. As such, the council stands by the policy,” he said.
“We have been expressing goodwill and strive to protect the Republic of China (Taiwan) and our democratic way of living. It has been a consistent position of the council, President William Lai (賴清德) and the Straits Exchange Foundation that Taiwan and China communicate on equal terms,” Liang added. “Unfortunately, Beijing has dismissed whatever the Taiwan government does as actions of those seeking Taiwan independence, and vowed to penalize our politicians, prosecutors and government workers supporting that position.”
“We hope that both sides would show restraint,” he said.
Separately, a former member of the 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, also known as the Sea Dragon Frogmen, appeared to have no safety issues, despite being reported missing after transiting in Hong Kong.
The whereabouts of the man, surnamed Chen (陳), sparked a whirlwind of speculation online.
“After making some inquiries, it was confirmed that he is neither in Hong Kong nor in Taiwan. We do not know where he is, but at the moment there is no indication that he is unsafe,” Liang said.
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