Amid hovering army tensions, Chinese officers attain Taiwan on first post-pandemic go to
2 min readTaiwan’s authorities this week allowed the journey of six officers, led by Liu Xiaodong, deputy head of the Shanghai workplace of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, to attend the Lantern Festival in Taipei, on the invitation of town authorities.
Taipei,UPDATED: Feb 18, 2023 14:50 IST
Liu Xiaodong, deputy head of the Shanghai workplace of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office and head of the delegation of Chinese officers visiting Taiwan. (Image: Reuters)
By Reuters: A bunch of Chinese officers arrived in Taiwan on Saturday on the primary go to in three years, for the reason that Covid-19 pandemic started, to attend a cultural occasion at a time of hovering army tensions throughout the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan’s authorities this week allowed the journey of six officers, led by Liu Xiaodong, deputy head of the Shanghai workplace of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, to attend the Lantern Festival in Taipei, on the invitation of town authorities.
Liu, arriving at Taipei’s downtown Songshan airport, didn’t reply questions from reporters and his group was ushered right into a van below heavy safety and pushed away.
A small group of round a dozen pro-Taiwan independence supporters protested his arrival outdoors the airport, shouting “Taiwan and China, separate countries” and “Chinese people, get out”, whereas on the airport highway one other small group of pro-China supporters shouted their welcome.
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Chilly Chen, head of the pro-independence Taiwan Republic Office, instructed Reuters the Taiwanese individuals have been very hospitable and welcomed guests however have been involved they have been coming to push Chinese insurance policies on the democratic island.
“Everything China does is in the service of politics, and their aim is definitely united front,” Chen added, referring to the title of China’s coverage to co-opt non-Communists and Taiwan’s individuals specifically.
Taiwan’s China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council mentioned the group has been allowed to come back so long as they maintain a low profile and it hoped their go to would promote mutual understanding and “healthy and orderly exchanges” going ahead.
While China has refused to talk to Taiwan’s authorities since President Tsai Ing-wen took workplace in 2016, believing she is a separatist, city-to-city exchanges had continued till interrupted by the pandemic.
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Still, Tsai’s administration has cautiously been making an attempt to re-open much less delicate people-to-people hyperlinks because it lifted pandemic-related border controls late final yr, aiming to engender goodwill with China.
But China continues to hold out army actions close to Taiwan, together with nearly each day crossings of the Taiwan Strait’s median line by Chinese air drive jets, which had beforehand served as an unofficial barrier.
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Published On:
Feb 18, 2023
