China adopts 'peace and war' approach with drills, new measures: MAC

Taipei, Feb. 27 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Thursday that the Chinese authorities are likely adopting a "dual approach of peace and war" by setting up a zone near Taiwan for "live-fire exercises" while Fujian Province rolled out 17 new measures to benefit Taiwanese during a two-day annual work conference on Taiwan affairs.

"Yesterday, they suddenly held a military exercise, and today, they announced the 17 so-called new preferential measures for Taiwan from Fujian Province," said Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑), MAC deputy head and spokesperson, at a news conference Thursday.

Liang said that the combination of the military exercise and the announcement of preferential measures "appears to be a dual approach of peace and war" as senior Chinese Communist Party officials attended an annual work conference on Taiwan affairs in Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday.

During the work conference, Wang Huning (王滬寧), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that it is important to "maintain the initiative and the ability to steer relations across the Taiwan Strait," according to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency.

After the Chinese military on Wednesday demarcated an area for "live-fire drills" in international waters about 40 nautical miles (74 kilometers) off the Kaohsiung and Pingtung County coast, Fujian Provincial Government announced a new set of 17 preferential measures for Taiwanese the next day.

Those 17 measures include provisions aimed at facilitating online renewal of Chinese residence cards for Taiwanese citizens and supporting their career development in the lithium battery industry in China, according to China Central Television News.

However, Liang questioned the effectiveness of the new preferential measures, saying that four rounds of integration measures between Fujian and Taiwan have been introduced by the Chinese authorities since 2023, but their impact "seems to be limited."

Taiwanese authorities are "particularly concerned about" the military exercise, Liang said, noting that the Chinese side still prioritizes military intimidation, which they consider "a more effective approach."

Liang added that the MAC "strongly condemns" the military exercise on Wednesday, calling it an "irresponsible provocation and disruption" of stability in the Taiwan Strait that "severely damaged" cross-strait relations.