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Amber Wang

Mainland China’s fourth-ranking official has hailed the “enthusiastic” participation of people from Taiwan at a cross-strait forum despite the “obstacles” placed in their way.
The independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party this year tightened restrictions on the Straits Forum in Fujian province, imposing the first outright ban on local officials attending the event. Senior officials had already been prohibited from attending.
Addressing the event on Saturday, Wang Huning, Beijing’s top Taiwan affairs official, said: “This year’s Straits Forum was held in a grand manner, with many Taiwan compatriots overcoming obstacles to participate enthusiastically.
“It also fully shows that expanding cross-strait exchanges and interactions and enhancing the well-being of compatriots is the will of the people and a general trend.”
The Straits Forum has been running since 2009 and is Beijing’s main platform for cross-strait people-to-people engagement. This year’s version will feature a total of 58 events across Fujian, the mainland province that lies directly opposite Taiwan.
Tensions between the mainland and Taiwan have been running high since William Lai Ching-te took office in May 2024.
This year’s forum comes at a particularly sensitive time ahead of Taiwan’s local elections later this year and the 2028 leadership election.
Wang told the event in Xiamen: “As profound changes unseen in a century accelerate across the world, the international landscape is becoming increasingly turbulent and complex, the situation in the Taiwan Strait remains complex and severe.
“The future direction of cross-strait relations, whether peace and stability can be maintained in the Taiwan Strait, and whether people on both sides of the strait can create a better future together are questions of the time that require a joint answer from people across all sectors on both sides.”
Last year an estimated 7,000 Taiwanese attended the event. It is not known how many took part in this year’s event.
Wang called on people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to oppose separatism and external interference and “stand on the right side of history”.


He also emphasised Beijing’s long-standing adherence to the “path of peaceful development in cross-strait relations, and … to resolutely advancing the cause of national reunification”.
Wang also pledged to step up efforts to improve ties between the island and Fujian, which was designated a demonstration zone for cross-strait development in 2023.
Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has never renounced the use of force to reunify the island with the mainland.
Most countries, including Taiwan’s main international partner the United States, do not recognise the island as independent but Washington opposes any attempt to seize it by force and is legally bound to supply it with arms to defend itself.
The event was attended by a number of Taiwanese politicians, including Chang Jung-kung, the vice-chairman of the Kuomintang, the main opposition party, and Chen Yu-chen, a KMT lawmaker.
Other smaller mainland-friendly parties were also represented at the event, including Lin Pin-kuan, chairman of the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union, and Li Sheng-feng, vice-chairman of the New Party.
Mainland actor Zhang Linghe also made a surprise appearance at the forum’s opening ceremony, a rare cultural figure in a highly politicised event.
The actor has a large fan base in Taiwan and the mainland, and starred in the popular drama Zhu Yu, or Pursuit of Jade.
Zhu’s inclusion highlights Beijing’s efforts to engage young Taiwanese and promote cross-strait cultural exchanges, particularly in film and television.
In April, Beijing introduced 10 measures to promote cross-strait cooperation following a meeting in Beijing between KMT leader Cheng Li-wun and Communist Party chief Xi Jinping.
These measures included support for the introduction of Taiwanese television dramas to the mainland market, framed as part of efforts to promote and protect Chinese culture. Taiwan Affairs Office director Song Tao and KMT vice-chairman Chang attended a signing ceremony to promote the 10 measures on the sidelines of the forum on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said that those attending the forum would “not only fail to improve cross-strait relations, but would also intensify internal divisions in Taiwan” and warned against becoming propaganda tools for Beijing.
The council urged Beijing to engage with the government in Taipei on an equal basis and “without preconditions” to reduce tensions.
Chang told the event that the recent meeting in Beijing between Cheng and Xi had “created new opportunities for the peaceful development of cross-strait relations”.
He added: “People from all sectors on both sides of the strait should not allow history to be reversed, and should firmly advance exchanges and cooperation.”
Chang met Wang before the opening ceremony, telling him that in the absence of official communication channels, “positive” relations between the KMT and the Communist Party and “civil exchanges” could be a “cornerstone for stability and peace across the Taiwan Strait”.
Some participants argued that the DPP’s restrictions could backfire at the ballot box.
“The cross-strait situation has become so complex and severe that the next two years may be a critical juncture in determining whether peace or conflict prevails in the Taiwan Strait,” Wang Zheng, honorary chairman of the Chinese Youth Development Union, said.
Andrew Huang, a visiting professor at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, said policymakers should take Taiwan’s young people into account.
“Restrictions may seem straightforward in the short term, but as elections approach, the DPP will realise that such measures will only shrink its own political space and ultimately produce a counterproductive effect,” Huang said.


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China

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Wang Huning tells delegates to ‘stand on the right side of history’ after the island’s ruling party banned officials from attending the forum


Wang Huning tells delegates to ‘stand on the right side of history’ after the island’s ruling party banned officials from attending the forum.


Taiwan

Cheng Li-wun

William Lai Ching-te

Kuomintang

Top Beijing official welcomes ‘enthusiastic’ Taiwanese presence at cross-strait event

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Wang Huning tells delegates to ‘stand on the right side of history’ after the island’s ruling party banned officials from attending the forum

Wang Huning tells delegates to ‘stand on the right side of history’ after the island’s ruling party banned officials from attending the forum