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Beijing sees window of opportunity in Taiwan with opposition KMT visit: analyst
- Amid ‘positive changes’, mainland authorities step up efforts to reach out to island’s opposition politicians
- KMT delegation to Beijing signals ‘a change in public opinion in Taiwan’, observer says
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Amber Wangin Beijing
Sensing a possible shift in public opinion among some Taiwanese, Beijing has ramped up efforts to reach out to different parties on the island in a bid to grow support by offering beneficial policies, according to analysts.
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The years-long influence strategy by mainland authorities had seen a renewed push after the local elections last year, they said.
“Positive changes have taken place in the international situation and the situation on the island, and the factors that hindered exchanges in the past are tending to ease,” said Zheng Jian, a member of the National Society of Taiwan Studies, a think tank based in Beijing.
On Thursday in Beijing, Song Tao, the newly appointed head of the Taiwan Affairs Office, met the vice-chairman of Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party, Andrew Hsia, who is leading a five-member KMT delegation on a 10-day visit to the mainland.
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Both men said they hope to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait, amid speculation that a war could break out as early as next year.
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