MAC Flags United Front Concerns Over Beijing-Funded Trips for Taiwanese
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council says Beijing's offer of fully subsidized trips for Taiwanese aged 16 to 45 may amount to coercion from China's United Front Work Department. Minister Chiu Chui-cheng pointed to a cross-strait forum in Guangdong this week, where one participant reportedly laid flowers labeled "Taiwan, China" at a memorial hall, calling the act degrading to Taiwan's status.
Chinese United Front Concerns
REPORTER:
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council says that Beijing’s offer of free trips to young Taiwanese could be part of China’s united front tactics.
Chiu Chui-cheng (MINISTER):
China does not offer such preferential treatment to its own people.
This clearly raises suspicion of a united front campaign aimed at exposing young Taiwanese to their narrative.
The minister was referring to reports that Beijing fully subsidized Taiwanese aged 16 to 45 to attend a cross-strait forum in Guangdong Province this week. One participant claiming to be Taiwanese reportedly placed flowers with the name “Taiwan, China” at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in China. The minister called this act degrading to Taiwan’s status.
The government supports healthy cross-strait exchanges based on equality and dignity, but it says that does not include activities with “obvious” united front connections.
