New MAC head signals Lai's wish for stable cross-strait ties: Analysts

Taipei, April 25 (CNA) The appointment of Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) as head of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) sends a message to Beijing that Taiwan's new administration wants to adopt a steady and cautious approach to cross-strait relations, analysts said on Thursday.

Tzeng Wei-feng (曾偉峯), an assistant researcher at the Institute of International Relations at National Chengchi University, said the appointment of Chiu, as well as that of incumbent Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) as head of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) suggested that President-elect Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) objective was to stabilize cross-strait relations.

He added that the incoming president appears to want to extend a gesture of goodwill towards Beijing by appointing national security officials largely from those in President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) administration.

This suggests there will not be significant changes to cross-strait relations, Tzeng said.

At a press conference in Taipei on Thursday, Lai announced that Chiu, former deputy head of MAC and current SEF vice chairman, will take over as the head of Taiwan's top government agency handling cross-strait affairs when the new administration takes office on May 20.

He also announced that Cheng would head the SEF, a semi-official organization set up by the Taiwanese government to assist Taiwanese businesspeople and their families in China, as well as Chinese spouses and students in Taiwan.

Tzeng said that Chiu is well-versed in cross-strait relations and has extensive connections in the cross-strait industrial sector and academia due to his tenure at SEF and previous teaching experience at National Quemoy University in Kinmen County.

Speaking about Cheng, Tzeng noted that he had established a cross-strait affairs group within the Taoyuan City government during his tenure as mayor to promote exchanges between Taoyuan and cities in China.

Meanwhile, National Taiwan Normal University Professor Huang Hsin-hao (黃信豪) said that Lai appointing Chiu and Cheng showed a desire for stability and a willingness to follow Tsai's approach to cross-strait relations.

However, the specialist in Chinese Communist Party politics added that the appointments would have little impact on the direction of cross-strait relations.

The key lies in Lai's inaugural speech on May 20, during which Beijing will watch closely how he speaks on cross-strait relations, Huang added.

Meanwhile, Hsu Shu-po (許舒博), the head of the General Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of China, said that both Chiu and Cheng garnered a profound understanding of how the industry sector operates during their respective tenures as the deputy head of the MAC and as vice premier.

While the current economic interdependence between Taiwan and China sits around 30 percent -- with many factories owned by Taiwanese businesses located across the strait -- the duo is well-prepared to handle cross-strait affairs, Hsu said.

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