TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Cabinet slammed China’s 10 cross-strait measures announced on Sunday as United Front tactics that weaponize exchanges and trade, while the Mainland Affairs Council warned they sidestep Taiwan’s elected government, deepen political division, and pose high economic risks.
Cabinet Spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said the government supports cross-strait exchanges conducted in line with the principles of equality and dignity, per CNA. However, many of the measures reflect Beijing’s past practice of citing unfounded reasons to open and close access at will, amounting to United Front tactics that exploit exchanges and weaponize economic ties.
KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) returned to Taiwan on Sunday after she visited China, before Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office announced the 10 measures. They include pilot programs to resume individual travel to Taiwan for Shanghai and Fujian residents, steps to normalize direct cross-strait passenger flights, support for Taiwanese agricultural and fishery products to join trade fairs in China, and assistance for small and medium-sized enterprises to expand in the Chinese market.
Lee said most of the 10 initiatives repeat past approaches in which Beijing imposed intermittent bans under various pretexts, causing significant harm to Taiwanese industries, farmers, and fishermen.
Lee said the government will conduct risk assessments and oversight of cross-strait exchanges to ensure they do not undermine Taiwan’s economic resilience. She added that any matters involving public authority must be handled through existing mechanisms between the two countries, without political preconditions and in line with market rules and international norms.
The MAC said Beijing is sidestepping Taiwan’s democratically elected government and recasting cross-strait relations within a KMT–CCP and “one-China" framework, per CNA. It criticized China for imposing political preconditions, such as the “1992 Consensus” and opposition to Taiwan independence, while pursuing “integration for unification” and applying differential treatment to foster division through United Front tactics.
The council said the Xi–Cheng meeting and the newly announced measures are similar to previous, unverifiable “preferential policies for Taiwan." It described them as merely political transactions between the CCP and KMT, with the costs ultimately borne by the Taiwanese.
The MAC stressed that any cross-strait matters involving public authority must be negotiated between the two governments on an equal footing to be valid and safeguard public welfare. Any “normalized communication mechanisms” or “exchange platforms” established by the KMT and CCP that bypass state authority must not violate the law.
The council warned that Beijing’s concessions are often unilaterally suspended, creating high uncertainty and risk for Taiwan’s industries and producers. It described them as “sugar-coated poison” packaged as benefits, serving in reality as economic coercion tools.
