China announced a series of measures to boost ties with Taiwan on Sunday following a rare visit by the island’s opposition leader Cheng Li-wun.
Among the 10 measures announced, China said it would explore setting up a regular communication mechanism between the ruling Communist Party and Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang (KMT).
It would also call for the “full resumption of normalized direct air passenger flights” between Taiwan and mainland China, including new cities such as Urumqi, Xi’an, Harbin, Kunming and Lanzhou, while easing some restrictions on travel to the self-ruled island.
China will also facilitate imports of some Taiwanese agricultural products, after banning imports of pineapples, squid, tuna and other produce from Taiwan in recent years.
China will also allow Taiwanese dramas, documentaries and animations to be broadcast – provided they are “properly oriented, complete and of high quality.”
Beijing courts Kuomintang during opposition leader’s visit
Taiwan is self-ruled, but China considers the island part of its territory. Taiwan’s government, led by the nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, did not immediately react to the announcement on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the vice chairman of the opposition Kuomintang – which once fought against the Communists but has now adopted a pro-Beijing stance – said the announcement was “highly welcome”.
Chang Jung-kyung said, “They are in line with the expectations of various sectors, especially in Taiwan, and provide an important boost to the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.”
Kuomintang Chairman Cheng Li-wun completed a six-day visit to China, during which he met with President Xi Jinping.
After their meeting on Friday, Cheng told reporters that “by opposing Taiwan independence, we can avoid war.”
Edited by: Carl Sexton