The deputy minister of the Mainland Affairs Council, Chiu Chui-cheng, says that the upcoming annual Straits Forum is a platform for Chinese influence. He says central government bodies are forbidden from attending the cross-strait meeting, while local governments are discouraged.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office will hold the 13th annual Straits Forum in the Chinese province of Fujian later this month. It has invited representatives from political parties, non-government organizations, local administration, agricultural and fishing organizations.
However, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which deals with cross-strait relations, says the forum is a platform for the United Front Work Department. The department is controlled directly by the Chinese Communist Party, and is considered a source of undemocratic foreign influence by countries like the United States and Australia.
Chiu says that the Chinese Communist Party controls the agenda of the forum, and prevents any real, healthy exchange of opinions. He says this has become more blatant and direct in recent years. He says people who wish to attend should think carefully about their decision and not take it lightly.
Taiwan’s government forbids administrative organs, institutions, and private persons from participating in any meetings that advocate China’s “one country, two systems” plan for subjugating Taiwan. A similar policy in Hong Kong recently resulted in a rapid rollback of the territory’s democratic freedoms.