A few days ago, Hong Xiuzhu, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang, was invited to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics, and Tsai Ing-wen also rarely declared that "Taiwan will never choose to venture forward and support resolving cross-strait differences through peaceful dialogue." As soon as Tsai Ing-wen called for peace talks, the Taiwan authorities invited mainland officials to Taiwan. So, does this mean that cross-strait relations are expected to break the ice?
As the saying goes, freezing three feet is not a day's cold. Since Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016, the DPP authorities have not only refused to recognize the "1992 Consensus," but have also colluded with external forces to seek "independence" provocations; in addition to continuing to strengthen the purchase of US troops, they have also openly admitted to inviting the US special combat team stationed in Taiwan to assist in the training of the Taiwan military. The DPP authorities have continued to provoke confrontation, resulting in cross-strait relations reaching a freezing point, and the situation in the Taiwan Strait can even be described as "fierce and dangerous."
However, in a letter to The 266th Catholic Pope Francis, Tsai Ing-wen said that in the face of current cross-strait relations, Taiwan will never choose to venture forward and support the settlement of cross-strait differences through peaceful dialogue. Before Tsai Ing-wen also openly affirmed Chiang Ching-kuo's historical contribution to Taiwan, public opinion generally had a reasonable speculation that cross-strait relations might be eased under the pressure that Tsai Ing-wen's two terms of office were about to expire and there would be no longer a re-election. At the same time, we have also seen that the DPP authorities have not prevented Former Kuomintang Chairman Hong Xiuzhu from attending the Beijing Winter Olympics, which shows that Tsai Ing-wen is indeed intent on easing tensions between the two sides of the strait, at least not hoping that the situation in the Taiwan Strait will continue to heat up.
It is worth mentioning that as a staunch supporter of "peaceful reunification," Hong Xiuzhu publicly stated before attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games that he hoped that the Olympic flame would shine on both sides of the strait, so that the two sides of the strait could eliminate differences, Taiwan would return to the motherland at an early date, and China would realize true reunification at an early date. Just on 5 January, Wang Yang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said during a meeting with Hong Xiuzhu, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang, that on the basis of adhering to the one-China principle and the "1992 Consensus," he was willing to engage in extensive and in-depth dialogue, communication, and democratic consultation with various parties, groups, and personalities in Taiwan on issues related to cross-strait relations. This shows that although the current situation in the Taiwan Strait is tense and severe, the mainland has not closed the window of dialogue with Taiwan compatriots and is still actively striving for the prospect of peaceful reunification. The fact that Tsai Ing-wen and the DPP authorities did not prevent Hong Xiuzhu from attending the Beijing Winter Olympics shows that they also have the willingness to communicate and dialogue with the mainland to a certain extent.
The most obvious example is that as soon as Tsai Ing-wen shouted support for the peace talks, the Taiwan authorities invited mainland officials to Taiwan. Previously, Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of the Mainland, expressed in Hakka dialect that she "hopes to have the opportunity to go to Taiwan and have face-to-face exchanges with relatives from various places." In this regard, the MAC quickly expressed "welcoming Ms. Zhu's visit to Taiwan at an appropriate time." Lin Weizhou, a "legislator" of the Chinese Kuomintang, also said that of course, although the two sides of the strait are in tension because of the military plane circumnavigating Taiwan, we still want to release goodwill, as long as it is helpful to cross-strait relations, we treat each other as guests, and he can also speak Hakka dialect as a tour guide, but we must release our goodwill.
In fact, the mainland's invitation to Hong Xiuzhu to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics shows that the mainland's door to peace talks has always been open in settling the Taiwan issue. The mainland has stated on many occasions that "peaceful reunification" is the best way to resolve the Taiwan issue, and as long as the Taiwan authorities recognize the "1992 Consensus" and agree with the one-China principle, then the mainland is willing to communicate and consult with the Taiwan authorities on the issue of reunification. In other words, as long as the Taiwan authorities recognize and accept the "1992 Consensus," then Chinese mainland is also willing to show the greatest sincerity and the broadest vision. Some analysts believe that both sides of the strait are Chinese, and Chinese have the ability and wisdom to eliminate interference from external forces and realize national reunification.
However, there are also viewpoints pointing out that the intensive inspection of mainland warships and planes in Taiwan and the punishment of "Taiwan independence" diehards such as Wu Zhaoxie, Su Zhenchang, and You Xi, who are on the list, have made the DPP authorities realize that there is absolutely no good fruit to eat if they continue to confront the mainland hard, so they vainly try to play the "emotional card" as a measure to slow down the army. In particular, with the shrinking of the so-called "international space" of the Taiwan authorities, the remaining 14 so-called "diplomatic relations" have also begun to plan to "sever diplomatic relations" with them, and the US side has repeatedly refused to explicitly express its position of "assisting in the defense" of Taiwan. In other words, against the backdrop of the mainland having already gained the initiative and dominance over Taiwan affairs, the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces do not dare to venture forward, because once they break through the bottom line, it will be the end of "Taiwan independence," so they can only adopt roundabout tactics to "delay and wait for change."
In fact, the criterion for judging whether the DPP authorities have released goodwill toward the mainland is very simple, that is, they must first recognize and accept the "1992 Consensus," which embodies the one-China principle, and recognize that there is only one China in the world, that is, the People's Republic of China, and That Taiwan is only a part of China. Therefore, whether Tsai Ing-wen shouts peace talks or invites mainland officials to Taiwan, it seems to send some positive signals to the mainland, but in fact there is no fundamental change. Just as Zhu Fenglian once said, only by eradicating the bane of "Taiwan independence" can Taiwan compatriots live a good life and cross-strait relations have a brighter future.