Taiwan Calls Out China's Cross-Strait Measures as Political Manipulation

China's government announced on 12 April a package of ten measures aimed at promoting cross-strait exchange and cooperation.

The Presidential Office pushed back, saying Taiwan supports cross-strait exchanges — including agricultural trade and tourism — but drew a firm line: no such arrangements should carry political preconditions or serve as bargaining chips for any political party.

Presidential Office Spokesperson Kuo Ya-hui (郭雅慧) said Beijing has long treated cross-strait exchanges as a tool or weapon — switching them on and off, opening them selectively at times, or halting them on unsubstantiated grounds. She said this pattern has caused incalculable harm to Taiwan's industries, farmers, and fishers over the years.

Kuo noted that most of the ten newly announced measures fall into this same category, repeatedly toggled without regard for market mechanisms or international norms. She also pointed out that Beijing, as in the past, did not consult Taiwan's government through established channels before making the announcement, raising the pointed question of whether Beijing is once again using cross-strait affairs as economic coercion.

Kuo emphasized that any cross-strait opening measures involve the exercise of governmental authority and institutional governance. She said that if Beijing genuinely intends to advance the relevant measures, it should engage in consultations with Taiwan's competent authorities through existing communication channels, in order to make arrangements that truly benefit healthy and orderly cross-strait development.

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