Tsai calls for open dialogue with Beijing at gathering of Taiwanese businesspeople

Tsai calls for open dialogue with Beijing at gathering of Taiwanese businesspeople

2023-02-02

At a Spring Festival gathering in Taipei for Taiwanese businesspeople working in China, President Tsai Ing-wen gave a speech calling for open dialogue with Beijing, saying that the door for communication is wide open. Meanwhile, Taiwanese businesspeople urged for direct flights between China and Taiwan to fully resume.

President Tsai Ing-wen, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Tai-san, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua, and Straits Exchange Foundation acting chair Rock Hsu raise their glasses high and wish Taiwanese businesspeople a happy new year.

The annual Spring Festival gathering of Taiwanese businesspeople in China, which was suspended for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, finally resumed this year. In Taipei, 30 tables were made up to seat more than 200 attendees to the event. President Tsai herself also gave a speech, sending a message not just to Taiwanese businesspeople, but also Beijing.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
I would like to emphasize again that maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is the responsibility of both sides of the strait and a shared expectation for all of us. I would like to reiterate that the door of communication is always open wide, and we are willing to start a dialogue with the Beijing authorities in a rational, equal, and mutually respectful manner to find feasible paths that are acceptable to both sides and promote regional peace and stability.

The president’s display of goodwill towards China was made just on the eve of the get-together. This comes at the same time as an announcement by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office that now is the time to resume normal cross-strait flights, and that priority could be given to 16 direct flight routes such as Taiwan to Guangzhou. Taiwanese business leaders attending the event also echoed the call for fully opening cross-strait flights as soon as possible.

Chai So-ling
Association of Taiwanese Investment Enterprises on the Mainland
Taiwanese businesspeople hope that the number of flight destinations in Taiwan can be substantially increased as soon as possible. I emphasize once again that this is probably what the 1.5 million holders of Mainland Travel Permits in China are looking forward to the most.

Chiu Tai-san
Mainland Affairs Council minister
We will write some assessment plans based on the current situation and submit them to the top for all relevant ministries to discuss.

It seems like no coincidence that the pressure from Taiwanese businesspeople toward Tsai comes as China pushes to resume cross-strait flights.

台商春節聯誼復辦蔡總統:平等尊重願與北京對話

2023-02-02

因疫情停辦3年的中國台商春節聯誼活動，今年終於恢復舉辦，現場超過200多位台商出席，不少人直接向政府喊話，希望能盡快恢復疫情前的航班及航點，時機點剛好在中國國台辦宣布開放十六個航點之後，引發政治操作的聯想，蔡總統向北京喊話，’’維持兩岸和平，推動有序交流"，願意在理性平等尊重下，展開對話。

總統蔡英文、率領陸委會主委邱太三、經濟部長王美花、海基會代理董事長許勝雄，台上高舉酒杯、祝福台商新年快樂。

因疫情停辦3年的中國台商春節聯誼活動，今年恢復舉辦，在台北席開30桌、200多位台商出席。總統台上致詞，除了感謝台商，更向北京當局喊話。

[[總統蔡英文]]
“我要再次強調，維持台海和平穩定是兩岸共同的責任，也是所有人我們共同的期待。我要重申，我方溝通的大門始終是敞開的，在理性平等及相互尊重下，我們願意和北京當局展開對話，一起尋求雙方可接受，而且促進區域和平穩定的可行之道”

總統對中國釋出善意，只是聯誼會舉辦前夕，就這麼剛好，中國國台辦宣布，目前是恢復兩岸航線正常運作的有利時間點，已向台灣提出可優先考量恢復台灣到廣州等16個直航航點，而這回出席活動的各地台商會長們也好有默契，附和喊出，兩岸航點盡快全面開放。

[[台企聯常務副會長翟所領]]
“台商希望台灣這邊也能夠趕快做大幅度的增加航點，我再強調一次，這應該是目前中國150萬持台胞證的人，大家所企盼最重要的一件事情。

[[陸委會主委邱太三]]
“我們會根據現有的這些狀況，寫一些評估方案，要報請上面會邀集各相關部會討論”

從中國開放航點，到台商施壓蔡政府開放，背後有沒有統戰操作，答案不難猜測。

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Tsai Ing-wen
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Philip Davidson
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Liu Chih-hung
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Liu Chih-hung
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