Taiwan cautious over 'peaceful reunification' omission in China report

Taipei, March 6 (CNA) Officials and scholars in Taiwan were cautious Wednesday about the omission of the term "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan from a government work report released by Beijing the previous day at the opening of the National People's Congress (NPC).

Asked by lawmakers at a legislative hearing whether the language indicated a more hardline stance towards Taiwan by China, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) said the government is still working to understand Beijing's intent.

In the government report delivered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強), Beijing reiterated a call for reunification with Taiwan, but omitted the word "peaceful."

Although it is not the first time China has dropped the word "peaceful," it was often used in previous reports.

However, instead of focusing solely on specific language in the report, which also said China will boost defense spending by 7.2 percent this year, one should also consider the broader context, Chiu added.

"It's premature to draw immediate conclusions," Chiu said, emphasizing that the government is collecting additional information to better understand the situation.

Wang Hsin-hsien (王信賢), deputy director of the Center for International Relations at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, said it is "over-interpretation" to focus on the language used and the defense budget increase.

Content related to Taiwan has never been a focal point in work reports from China's State Council, Wang said at a seminar discussing developments at the NPC Wednesday. He told CNA the previous day that such work reports mainly focus on economic issues.

In a departure from previous reports, this year's does not contain the Chinese government's Taiwan work achievements in 2023, Wang said at seminar.

Although the term "peaceful reunification" was not adopted in this year's report, it was used in two separate phrases that detail "promoting the peaceful development of cross-strait relations," and "pushing the unwavering cause of reunification of the motherland," he added.

Wang said he expects China's future approach toward Taiwan will involve more actions and fewer verbal statements, following the Democratic Progressive Party's victory in the Taiwanese presidential election two months ago.

Beijing has been advancing its strategic objectives through practical issues, such as the termination of diplomatic ties between Nauru and Taiwan, and the unilateral adjustment to the M503 air route, according to Wang.

The objective of such moves could be to observe Taiwan's response during the government handover period leading up to the presidential inauguration on May 20, to get a better understanding of how Taiwan will navigate cross-strait relations in the future, he said.

They could also be perceived as "salami slicing tactics" against Taiwan, which China uses to tighten the noose step by step, to achieve its strategic goals, Wang said.

For instance, if frequent users of the M503 air route like South Korea and Japan do not express objections to its adjustment, the situation will be "settled" the way it is now, he said.