BEIJING / TAIPEI — China has rolled out a new package of goodwill measures toward Taiwan, offering to ease travel restrictions, open its markets to more Taiwanese products, and even allow some cultural imports; a gesture that follows a rare visit by the island’s opposition leader, according to Reuters.
The 10 new policies, announced Sunday by China’s state run Xinhua news agency, come just after a visit by Kuomintang (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, who met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Both sides, Xinhua said, spoke of peace, “shared kinship,” and the importance of dialogue across the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing’s new incentives include resuming regular commercial flights between China and Taiwan, permitting residents of Shanghai and Fujian provinces to visit the island, and relaxing import checks on Taiwanese food and seafood. The measures also propose a direct communication channel between China’s ruling Communist Party and the KMT.
On the cultural front, China will once again allow Taiwanese television dramas, documentaries, and animated programs, provided they have “healthy content and correct orientation.”
But as with most cross‑strait gestures, politics remain close to the surface. Xinhua made clear the incentives are conditional on Taiwan’s continued opposition to independence.
Taipei’s Mainland Affairs Council responded sharply, calling Beijing’s measures “poisoned gifts.” The council said that while Taiwan supports “orderly and positive” exchanges with China, they must never come with political strings attached.
By contrast, the KMT welcomed the announcement, calling it a “gift to the people,” reflecting the party’s more conciliatory line toward Beijing.
China refuses official contact with Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, whom it labels a “separatist.” Lai insists the self governed island’s future must be decided only by its citizens.
Tourism and trade between the two sides have struggled to recover since the pandemic, with both blaming each other for the delays. Sunday’s new measures appear to be Beijing’s latest attempt to reset that relationship, though Taipei remains wary that generosity may come at a cost.
