Chinese Officials Arrive in Taiwan on First Post-Pandemic Visit

By Staff, Agencies

Amid escalating military tensions across the Taiwan Strait, a delegation of Chinese officials landed in Taiwan on Saturday for the first time since the COVID outbreak started.

Six officials, led by Liu Xiaodong, deputy head of the Shanghai office of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, were granted permission by Taiwan's government this week to go to Taipei to attend the Lantern Festival at the request of the local government. Liu did not respond to questions from reporters when he arrived at Taipei's Songshan airport in the city's center. Instead, his group was led away in a vehicle while being heavily guarded.

Around a dozen people who supported Taiwan's independence opposed his arrival at the airport by yelling, "Taiwan and China, separate countries" and "Chinese people, get out." At the same time, a smaller number of pro-China protesters welcomed him on the airport road.

Chilly Chen, head of the pro-independence Taiwan Republic Office, told Reuters the Taiwanese people were very hospitable and welcomed visitors but were concerned they were coming to push Chinese policies on the democratic island. Chen added: "Everything China does is in the service of politics, and their aim is definitely united front," referring to the name of China's policy to co-opt non-Communists and Taiwan's people in particular.

The delegation has been permitted to visit as long as they maintain a low profile, according to Taiwan's China policy-making Mainland Affairs Council, which expressed the hope that their stay will foster future "healthy and orderly contacts" and enhance mutual understanding.

City-to-city talks persisted until the epidemic disrupted them. However, China has refused to communicate with Taiwan's government since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016, believing she is a separatist.