Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council has again urged Beijing to abandon political preconditions and engage directly with Taiwan’s elected government on cross-strait matters. The council also reiterated its warning over a package of measures aimed at promoting cross-strait trade and exchanges unveiled by China earlier this month.

Speaking at a forum with scholars on cross-strait relations in Taipei on Tuesday, April 21, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung (沈有忠) said that Beijing had repackaged previously suspended measures. These are what he described as a "large gift package" following a meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) and KMT leader Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) this month.

The deputy minister said the measures were based on political preconditions such as adherence to the “1992 Consensus” and opposition to so-called "Taiwan independence." He described the policies as "political tools" to divide Taiwan and promote unification and integration.

Shen warned that such measures, imposed without formal agreements or institutional safeguards with Taiwan’s government, could place Taiwanese industries at risk of falling into what he described as a united front trap.

He also cited China’s slowing economy, saying foreign direct investment had declined by nearly half since 2023, and that there is no reason to return to what he described as the "irreversible path" of depending on the Chinese market.