China's Taiwan measures aim to deepen dependence: Scholar

Taipei, April 12 (CNA) China's newly announced incentive measures targeting Taiwan are aimed at reshaping cross-strait relations by fostering deeper economic and structural dependence, a Taiwanese scholar said Sunday.

Hung Yao-nan (洪耀南), deputy director of Tamkang University's Institute of China Studies, told CNA that the policies, while framed as economic incentives, are part of a broader strategy to sidestep formal dialogue and build alternative channels of influence.

He described the approach as a form of "soft integration" and "political bypass," operating outside government-to-government mechanisms after official communication was suspended.

Rather than isolated concessions, the measures represent a systematic effort to use economic incentives to drive political outcomes and local engagement to erode central authority, Hung said.

He added that Beijing is seeking to establish a "quasi-governance channel" through exchanges with Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang (KMT), creating a structure beyond Taiwan's constitutional framework.

This shifts cross-strait engagement toward an alternative form of political legitimacy, where those able to engage with Beijing are seen as more capable of governance, he said.

On the economic front, Hung said the strategy marks a shift from market-based interaction to structural integration, citing policies such as infrastructure links in outlying islands, expanded market access and deeper industrial cooperation.

The issue is not the scale of benefits, but the "restructuring of dependency," he said.

"On the surface, it offers convenience, opportunities and economic gains; at a deeper level, it serves as a form of political containment, reshaping the pathways of governance and the structure of dependence."

Beijing announced 10 measures targeting Taiwan earlier Sunday, some aimed at sectors such as tourism and fisheries, following a meeting between KMT Chairperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Friday.