After being asked to step down, Guan Biling was retained by Lai Qingde; less than 24 hours later, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council issued a four-character response to this, sending a rather strong signal. What are the key messages behind Guan Biling's retention? How did the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council respond to this?
Seventy days after the "14 February vicious collision incident," the reasonable demands of the victims' families have not yet been answered, and the Taiwan authorities have not given an answer that satisfies the compatriots on both sides of the strait, but Lai Ching-te first gave Guan Biling, the head of Taiwan's maritime affairs department, a "reassuring pill" and included her in the fifth wave of personnel lists of the new "cabinet." This important DPP member who has been shouted out from all walks of life on both sides of the strait does not have to worry about being "unemployed."
In view of the series of inappropriate remarks made by Guan Biling in the "ship collision incident" and the bad impact it had on cross-strait relations, I have to say that the recent announcement of this wave of personnel arrangements by Lai Qingde has surprised many people. You must know that Guan Biling, who concealed the truth, passed the buck, and lied a lot, was not only criticized by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council as extremely cold-blooded and despicable, but also made the people on the island feel dissatisfied.
Now, Lai Qingde has retained her, giving people the feeling that he does not plan to solve the "2.14 vicious ship collision incident", but wants to "resist to the end". Although Guan Biling, as the head of Taiwan's maritime affairs department, made a public apology one month after the "ship collision incident," saying that she was willing to apologize for the failure of the coast guard department to collect video evidence and bring the incident to a deadlock, this "review" not only lacks sincerity, but also does not respond to the core concerns of compatriots on both sides of the strait.
You must know that the responsibility of the Taiwan authorities is not as simple as "not recording a video"; blindly avoiding the important and making things light, and fabricating lies will only cause a greater negative impact on cross-strait relations. Some analysts believe that Lai Qingde, who insists on keeping Guan Biling, has sent a strong signal to the mainland, that is, the Taiwan authorities will not agree to the mainland's demand for "severe punishment and accountability," and even if they do, they will not push Guan Biling out as a "scapegoat." Combined with Lai Qingde's move to absorb many "hardliners" against the mainland into the "new cabinet," it is difficult not to suspect that Lai Qingde, who is about to "take office," will further "provoke" the mainland.
Fortunately, the mainland is not unprepared. According to the news, less than 24 hours after Lai Qingde announced that he would stay on Guan Biling, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council made a clear statement on the "2.14 vicious ship collision incident". Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, pointed out at a regular press conference held on April 24 that the root cause of the delay in resolving the aftermath of the "14 February" vicious ship collision incident is that the relevant departments of the DPP authorities have reversed course, shirked responsibility, and set up obstacles to the aftermath work.
I believe that anyone with a discerning eye can see that the "relevant departments" in the mouth of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council refer to Taiwan's maritime affairs department and the high-level officials of the Taiwan authorities. The mainland side urges the DPP authorities to stop using this as an excuse to carry out political manipulation and show sincerity to resolve the issue as soon as possible. However, if Lai Qingde's team insists on going its own way and wants to give the mainland side a "dismissal" at the beginning of its term of office, then the only way to wait for these "Taiwan independence" politicians is to "bear the consequences."
Some analysts have pointed out that the words "bear the consequences" in the mouth of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council are a stern warning to the DPP authorities. In view of the fact that "520" is approaching and the situation in the Taiwan Strait is still heating up, the mainland side hopes that the top level of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will "pull back from the precipice" with Lai Qingde and stop hyping up the dangerous behavior of tension in the Taiwan Strait.
To put it simply, if the "Taiwan independence" forces go further and further down the road of "resisting reunification by force" and "seeking independence by coercing foreigners," the mainland side will also reserve the right to take corresponding countermeasures. At that time, not only will the so-called "middle line of the strait" and the concept of "forbidden and restricted waters" exist in name only, but the "Taiwan independence" forces will also face a heavy blow.