Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday returned from a six-day visit to China, welcoming Beijing’s newly announced “incentive measures” for Taiwan, as party figures and tourism representatives called on the government to respond pragmatically.
Upon arriving at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport from Beijing, Cheng told reporters she was “very thankful” to the Taiwan Work Office of the Chinese Party of China Central Committee for announcing the 10 preferential measures for Taiwan.
“As I said during the Cheng-Xi meeting, things must be done one by one,” Cheng said, referring to her meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Friday, the most important engagement of her visit.
Photo: CNA
Cheng said she had instructed KMT vice chairpersons to form a task force to follow up on implementing the measures and establish points of contact with the Chinese side.
The 10 measures, announced earlier yesterday, include resuming individual travel by residents of Shanghai and China’s Fujian Province to Taiwan, restoring more direct cross-strait passenger flights, and giving Taiwanese agricultural, fishery and food products easier access to the Chinese market.
KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) called on the Democratic Progressive Party government to respond pragmatically.
With Beijing rolling out concrete policies, the government should plan supporting measures, including increasing tourism reception capacity and easing regulations, he said.
The 10 measures are not only a significant breakthrough in cross-strait relations, but also a concrete result of the KMT’s efforts, demonstrating to the world that the party has the ability to ease tensions between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and create pathways for regional peace, Fu said.
Looking back at 2024, the KMT took the first crucial step by leading 17 legislators on a visit to China, initiating pragmatic exchanges, he said.
It is this persistence that has gradually built mutual trust and led to the policies that followed the Cheng-Xi meeting, Fu said, adding that China’s policies are a direct response to the KMT’s efforts and the most tangible support for Taiwanese.
“The successful outcomes of the Cheng-Xi meeting are no coincidence. They reflect the KMT’s long-standing commitment to the policy of exchange over confrontation,” he said.
As global dynamics shift — with the de-escalating Russian-Ukraine war and signs of negotiation in the Middle East — there is no reason for the Taiwan Strait to become a flashpoint for conflict, Fu said, adding that “in this moment, the true desire of all industries and Taiwanese is simple: a stable life and economic growth.”
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