KMT chair welcomes China's Taiwan measures as party members urge pragmatic response

Taipei, April 12 (CNA) Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) returned from a six-day visit to China on Sunday, welcoming Beijing's newly announced Taiwan incentive measures, as party figures and tourism representatives called on the government to respond pragmatically.

Upon arriving at Taoyuan International Airport from Beijing on Sunday afternoon, Cheng told reporters she was "very thankful" to the Taiwan Work Office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee for announcing the 10 preferential measures for Taiwan.

"As I said during the Cheng-Xi meeting, things must be done one by one," Cheng said, referring to her meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Friday, the most important engagement of her visit.

The leader of Taiwan's main opposition party said she had instructed party vice chairpersons to form a task force to follow up on implementing the measures and establish points of contact with the Chinese side.

The 10 measures, announced earlier Sunday, include resuming individual travel by residents of Shanghai and Fujian Province to Taiwan, restoring more direct cross-strait passenger flights, and easier access for Taiwanese agricultural, fishery and food products to the Chinese market.

Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), convener of the KMT legislative caucus, called on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government to respond pragmatically in line with public opinion.

He said that with Beijing rolling out concrete policies, the government should actively plan supporting measures, including tourism reception capacity and regulatory easing.

KMT Vice Chairperson Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭) said many in Taiwan hoped to see more people from China travel to Taiwan and that the tourism industry would welcome such a development.

Li Chi-yueh (李奇嶽), chairman of the High Quality of Travel Association, said the measures sent a stronger signal of opening up, noting that Beijing had typically resumed group tours before later allowing individual travel.

Li added that he hoped Taiwan would take the opportunity to lift the current restriction allowing Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan only via third locations.

Shortly before Cheng's return, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement that "any exchanges should not be subject to political preconditions, nor should they be used as tools for political maneuvering or deals by specific parties."

She added that if China is sincere about advancing the measures, it should engage Taiwan's government agencies through existing channels.

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), which supervises cross-strait affairs in Taiwan, also urged caution over the long-term implications of Beijing's latest announcement.

MAC said that similar measures - including those related to imports, flights and tourism - have been repeatedly opened and suspended by China in the past, warning that the latest package should be viewed with caution in the absence of institutional safeguards.

"The same pattern is now being repeated, without any institutional safeguards for Taiwan's industries, farmers, fishers or the rights and interests of the public, making the measures highly risky," it added.