Taiwan Straits Exchange Foundation senior officials take office and hope peace will become the common language of cross-strait exchanges
After the new president of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, took office, the outside world paid attention to the new government’s attitude towards cross-strait relations. On Friday, when the leadership of the Straits Exchange Foundation, which is responsible for cross-strait consultation and exchange affairs, was replaced, the incident of a Taiwanese tour group member being detained in mainland China attracted public attention.
The Straits Exchange Foundation held a joint meeting on Friday (June 7), with former Vice Premier Zheng Wencan taking over as the new chairman and former DPP Secretary-General Luo Wenjia serving as vice chairman and secretary-general.
Zheng Wencan is regarded as a representative of the pro-China faction in the Democratic Progressive Party. He made his first speech on cross-strait relations after taking office. Zheng Wencan said that the Straits Exchange Foundation is responsible for promoting cross-strait exchanges, dialogues, and consultations. From President Tsai Ing-wen to President Lai Ching-te, the cross-strait policy has remained unchanged, with a more peaceful, more friendly, and more dialogue-oriented stance. He also emphasized that Taiwan is a pluralistic society that attaches great importance to the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights, and hopes to make peace a common language on both sides of the strait. He said: “I hope that exchanges are the foundation, and only then will there be understanding and forgiveness. Cross-strait relations are the top priority for the survival and development of the country. Through exchanges, we can have a better foundation for peace, reduce accidents, and reduce risks. Let peace become a common language, this is our highest goal.”
Zheng Wencan reiterated that he would do the work of the Straits Exchange Foundation in accordance with the attitude of neither being humble nor arrogant, maintaining the status quo, replacing containment with communication, and replacing confrontation with dialogue. He hoped to be able to communicate confidently and be prepared for a steady and phased opening up across the Taiwan Strait.
Regarding the first incident in which a Taiwanese tourist was taken away for investigation after traveling to the mainland and was allowed to return to Taiwan several days later, whether it would affect the work of the Straits Exchange Foundation in carrying out cross-strait exchanges, and whether there are high risks for Taiwanese tourists to travel to the mainland, Zheng Wencan said that the Mainland Affairs Council has responded to the travel risks.
Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Chiu Chui-cheng was also asked about this incident when he testified at the Legislative Yuan on Friday. He called on the Taiwanese public to pay attention to personal safety when traveling to the mainland and to make careful assessments before departure. In response to the incident, the new Premier of the Executive Yuan, Toh Jung-tai, said that after learning that a member of a Taiwanese tour group was detained, he immediately asked the Mainland Affairs Council to understand the situation and explain it to the public appropriately. He also said that China’s laws are unclear and procedures are incomplete, and he wanted to use this incident to remind the public to pay attention to personal safety when traveling to China.775
