Tsai calls for open dialogue with Beijing at gathering of Taiwanese businesspeople

At a Spring Festival gathering in Taipei for Taiwanese businesspeople working in China, President Tsai Ing-wen gave a speech calling for open dialogue with Beijing, saying that the door for communication is wide open. Meanwhile, Taiwanese businesspeople urged for direct flights between China and Taiwan to fully resume.

President Tsai Ing-wen, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Tai-san, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua, and Straits Exchange Foundation acting chair Rock Hsu raise their glasses high and wish Taiwanese businesspeople a happy new year.

The annual Spring Festival gathering of Taiwanese businesspeople in China, which was suspended for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, finally resumed this year. In Taipei, 30 tables were made up to seat more than 200 attendees to the event. President Tsai herself also gave a speech, sending a message not just to Taiwanese businesspeople, but also Beijing.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
I would like to emphasize again that maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is the responsibility of both sides of the strait and a shared expectation for all of us. I would like to reiterate that the door of communication is always open wide, and we are willing to start a dialogue with the Beijing authorities in a rational, equal, and mutually respectful manner to find feasible paths that are acceptable to both sides and promote regional peace and stability.

The president’s display of goodwill towards China was made just on the eve of the get-together. This comes at the same time as an announcement by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office that now is the time to resume normal cross-strait flights, and that priority could be given to 16 direct flight routes such as Taiwan to Guangzhou. Taiwanese business leaders attending the event also echoed the call for fully opening cross-strait flights as soon as possible.

Chai So-ling
Association of Taiwanese Investment Enterprises on the Mainland
Taiwanese businesspeople hope that the number of flight destinations in Taiwan can be substantially increased as soon as possible. I emphasize once again that this is probably what the 1.5 million holders of Mainland Travel Permits in China are looking forward to the most.

Chiu Tai-san
Mainland Affairs Council minister
We will write some assessment plans based on the current situation and submit them to the top for all relevant ministries to discuss.

It seems like no coincidence that the pressure from Taiwanese businesspeople toward Tsai comes as China pushes to resume cross-strait flights.