Mainland revives key Taiwan exchanges

A Chinese mainland spokeswoman reiterated commitments to promoting people-to-people exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait, and accused the Lai Ching-te administration of obstructing such interactions and neglecting the developmental needs of industries on the island.

Speaking at a regular media briefing on Wednesday, Zhang Han, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said a think tank forum between the Communist Party of China and the Chinese Kuomintang will be held in Beijing on Tuesday.

The forum, themed on prospects for cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, will be jointly hosted by research institutions affiliated with the CPC and the KMT. It is expected to draw representatives, experts and scholars from both parties and various sectors on both sides of the Strait, including tourism, industry, technology, healthcare and environmental protection, Zhang said.

Participants will hold in-depth discussions on issues that range from cross-Strait tourism, industrial development, environmental protection to sustainable development, she said, with the aim of jointly exploring the overall direction of cross-Strait relations and promoting the well-being and interests of people on both sides of the Strait.

Cheng Li-wun, KMT chairwoman, said the forum marks the resumption of the KMT-CPC interparty exchange platform after a nine-year suspension. She said the KMT is willing to make its greatest contribution to breaking what she called a "self-destructive spiral of rising hostilities across the Strait" and opening an alternative path.

KMT vice-chairman Hsiao Hsu-tsen said at a news conference in Taipei that the KMT and the CPC share a common political foundation of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence".

Hsiao, who will lead a 40-member KMT delegation to the mainland next week, called on Lai to rein in what he described as his "henchmen" and stop undermining cross-Strait exchanges.

The interparty exchange mechanism was established in 2005 but has been suspended since 2016.

Zhang said the forum, an important component of interparty exchanges between the CPC and the KMT, aligns with mainstream public opinion on the island and meets the expectations of people on both sides of the Strait. She said it reflects the two parties' efforts to seek peace across the Strait and promote public well-being.

Zhang said the mainland has continued to promote cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation in areas such as people-to-people interactions and tourism while extending goodwill.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism recently released a new edition of a model contract for mainland residents traveling to Taiwan, which has drawn attention on the island.

Reaffirming the mainland's sincerity to restoring travel by mainland residents to Taiwan, Zhang said the key question is whether the Democratic Progressive Party authorities can respond to mainstream public opinion and the demands of industry groups in Taiwan and create favorable conditions for cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation.

She accused the DPP authorities of being driven by a "Taiwan independence" mindset and political self-interest, adding that they have ignored the well-being of grassroots communities and local businesses.

According to Zhang, the DPP authorities have repeatedly used various pretexts to obstruct and restrict tourism and exchanges across the Strait, triggering strong dissatisfaction among industry groups on the island.

Cross-Strait exchanges are currently hindered by group tour bans imposed by the DPP authorities, which prohibit tour groups from traveling to the mainland and bar mainland tour groups from visiting Taiwan. Individual tours from the mainland to Taiwan have also been suspended since 2019 due to the DPP's secessionist activities.