Taiwan’s opposition leader, Wu Den-yih, recently visited China in a trip that has been seen as a move by Beijing to increase pressure on the island’s President Tsai Ing-wen. Wu, who is the leader of Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), met with several Chinese officials during the visit, including China’s Vice President Wang Qishan. The trip has been seen as a signal from Beijing that it is willing to engage with the KMT, which has traditionally been more willing to accept China’s view of the two sides being part of one country. The visit has raised questions about how the Taiwanese people will respond to the increasing pressure from Beijing, as well as the future of the relationship between the two sides.
BEIJING (AP) — The vice chairman of Taiwan’s pro-Beijing opposition Nationalist Party visited China for meetings with officials and the local business community, drawing criticism from the self-governing island’s ruling party.
Andrew Hsia’s nine-day trip, beginning Wednesday, comes as China rekindles its attacks on the ruling Democratic Progressive Party for its refusal to recognize Taiwan as part of China.
Spokesman for the Chinese Cabinet Office for Taiwan Affairs, Zhu Fenglian, accused the DPP of acting “out of selfish political interest” by seeking the island’s formal independence with foreign support.
Tensions between China and Taiwan have risen following a series of visits to the island by foreign lawmakers and others, including a possible upcoming trip by US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
In August, China fired rockets and staged war threat games across Taiwan in response to a visit by then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who became the longest-serving US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years.
These actions “damage the interests and well-being of Taiwanese compatriots, endanger their security and gradually bring Taiwan into a dangerous stage,” Zhu said, referring to China’s threat to use force to regain what it considers Chinese territory.
The sides split in civil war in 1949, and Taiwan was never ruled by China’s ruling Communist Party.
Despite their close economic ties, China has refused all contact with Taiwan’s government since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016 because of its refusal to recognize the concept of “One China” advocated in an earlier one by the nationalists and The agreement brokered by mainland communists was known as the “92 Consensus”.
In contrast, Zhu said China welcomed Hsia’s visit, saying Beijing is “ready to step up exchanges with the nationalists, consolidate and strengthen mutual trust, and exchanges and cooperation in various fields on the common political basis of adherence.” of the 1992 consensus and refusal to deepen Taiwan’s independence.”
The vast majority of Taiwan’s 23 million residents support the status quo of de facto independence, and Tsai says there is no need to issue a formal declaration that would likely trigger a Chinese military response.
Hsia plans to visit several major Chinese cities and meet with Song Tao, head of the Bureau of Taiwan Affairs, the nationalists said. His meetings with the business community will focus on restoring air and sea links between the sides, which have been disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The DPP criticized the trip, saying Monday it would prompt “unnecessary speculation” internationally, Taiwan’s official Central News Agency reported.
Hsia should not sacrifice Taiwan’s interests while it “hurries to show loyalty to China,” the DPP said.
The visit also comes amid a new downturn in relations between China and the US, Taiwan’s main backer, over the presence of a suspected Chinese spy balloon in American airspace.
The US military shot down the UAV on Saturday and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled his visit to Beijing, prompting angry complaints from China of what it called an overreaction. China insists the object was a civilian balloon intended for meteorological research and went off course.
The Associated Press
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