On the afternoon of March 4, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu announced his plan to land on March 22. An Fengshan, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, responded to this on the afternoon of the same day, saying that he welcomes and supports cross-strait city exchanges and cooperation on the basis of adhering to the "1992 Consensus" to jointly enhance the interests and well-being of compatriots on both sides of the strait.
In this year’s two sessions, General Secretary Xi Jinping once again expressed his concern for Taiwan compatriots. When General Secretary Xi Jinping participated in the review of the Fujian Provincial delegation on March 10, he emphasized that we must implement people-centered development thinking in our work with Taiwan, treat Taiwan compatriots equally, and benefit Taiwan compatriots just as we serve the people on the mainland.
html After the National People's Congress closed on March 15, Premier Li Keqiang met with Chinese and foreign reporters and answered questions about cross-Strait relations. He said that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have the same roots and are related to each other. We are willing to introduce more preferential policies to allow Taiwan compatriots to invest, work, and study in the mainland. , life and residence, and can enjoy the same treatment as compatriots in mainland China. The speeches of General Secretary Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang reflect the mainland's sincerity towards our Taiwan compatriots. Han Kuo-yu's successful landing this time and his active pursuit of cross-strait exchanges and cooperation on the basis of respecting the "1992 Consensus" profoundly reflects the deep-rooted belief that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. Looking at the actions of the DPP authorities, it is not difficult to see that Tsai Ing-wen shortsightedness.
Han Guoyu’s visit to the mainland actually reflects two connotations from a broad perspective.
First of all, Hanguo Yu was able to successfully apply for landing, which reflects the tilt of public opinion on the island. Since Tsai Ing-wen came to power, she has chanted the slogan of "maintaining the status quo", refused to recognize the "1992 Consensus", and continued to stir up the "sensitive nerves" in cross-Strait relations, leading to the continuous regression and deterioration of cross-Strait relations; in the later governance process, Tsai Ing-wen continues to adopt measures to restrict cross-strait exchanges, causing the island's tourism industry to slump and economic development to be greatly affected. This has led to the Taiwanese people's growing dissatisfaction with Tsai Ing-wen. The success of Han Kuo-yu's "landing" plan was not due to Tsai Ing-wen's thinking. In fact, Tsai Ing-wen's authorities still took many measures to prevent and restrict it. However, under the pressure of strong public opinion on the island, they finally had to make a decision. In order to make concessions, the number of "green congressmen" among the congressmen accompanying Han Hanyu this time also shows the "stubbornness" of the DPP.
Secondly, South Korea's Yu's visit to Mainland China sends a positive signal for cross-strait exchanges and integration. The four cities Han Guoyu visited this time are Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen and Xiamen. Hong Kong, Macau and Shenzhen all belong to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is an important spatial carrier for mainland China to build world-class urban agglomerations and participate in global competition. It is the fourth largest bay area in the world after the New York Bay Area and San Francisco Bay Area in the United States and the Tokyo Bay Area in Japan. Although Hanguo-yu stated that this trip was an economic activity and the purpose was to "secure possible business opportunities and cooperation opportunities for more goods to go out and people to come in," this was a proactive move by Taiwan's county and mayor to try to integrate into the development of the mainland. To a certain extent, it will help both sides of the Taiwan Strait "break the ice" and develop for the better.
In general, Han Kuo-yu's visit to the mainland, due to the "restraint" of the DPP authorities, may not have a direct and significant impact on the development of cross-strait relations. But this is a good start, re-injecting confidence into normal cross-strait exchanges. A single spark can start a prairie fire. I hope this good start can lead to more exchanges and cooperation, enhance Taiwan compatriots' understanding and affection for the nation and country, and bring more impetus to the development of cross-strait relations. (Wang Xin, China Net commentator)
