At the April 15 State Council Taiwan Affairs Office press conference, a reporter asked about the DPP authorities’ criticism of the mainland’s ten new measures promoting cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, which they described as “instrumentalizing exchanges” and “weaponizing economics and trade” for united-front coercion.
TAO spokesperson Chen Binhua said that whenever the mainland introduces measures that benefit Taiwanese people, the DPP authorities “smear” them, and that they strongly oppose anything that improves Taiwanese welfare. He said this has been mocked by Taiwanese media as a “knee-jerk reaction” and criticized across Taiwan society.
Chen urged the DPP authorities to listen more to public opinion in Taiwan and do more to promote cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, rather than “making enemies of the public” and blocking people from benefiting.
