BEIJING – China announced 10 new measures on April 12 to lure Taiwan closer, easing tourist restrictions, approving “healthy” TV dramas and animations, and streamlining food imports, moves unveiled post-opposition Kuomintang chair Cheng Li-wun’s meeting with President Xi Jinping.
The incentives, via Xinhua, propose regular KMT-Communist Party talks, resumed flights, Fujian-Shanghai resident visits to Taiwan, and relaxed inspections for fishery products, tied to rejecting “Taiwan independence.”
KMT hailed it as a “gift” to Taiwanese people after Cheng’s peace-focused trip. Beijing shuns President Lai Ching-te as a “separatist,” insisting on sovereignty over the democratic island.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council dismissed the package as “poisoned pills” disguised as concessions, advocating exchanges free of political strings amid stalled post-COVID tourism and disputed agricultural bans. Tensions persist as both sides point fingers over trade hurdles and cross-strait dialogue.