China closes door on Taiwan independence-espousing firms

China closes door on independence-espousing firms

Staff writer, with CNA

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) yesterday said that China does not welcome investments from Taiwanese companies that promote Taiwanese independence.

Responding to questions from Taiwanese investors at a conference in Henan Province, Zhang said China has made it clear that its policy toward Taiwan has not changed since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took office on May 20.

“China will not allow those Taiwanese investors that advocate Taiwan independence to make money here,” Zhang said.

He said that since the DPP came to power, Beijing has not changed its “one China” policy and has maintained the so-called “1992 consensus” as the foundation of exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The deterioration in cross-strait exchanges has resulted from the DPP government’s refusal to recognize the “1992 consensus,” Zhang said, referring to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.

In 2006, former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted he made up the term in 2000, before the KMT handed over power to the DPP.

In Taipei, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) on Thursday said that the government was not pleased to hear about Beijing’s discrimination against Taiwanese investors who hold political views that Chinese authorities disagree with.

The council will consider what measures, if any, to take to deal with the situation, Chiu said.

Meanwhile, Chinese reports said that Taiwanese seafood restaurant chain Hai Pa Wang was fined for mislabeling food items such as fish balls that are produced at a factory in Chengdu.

Some reports said that the fines were imposed because the company’s owners have a good relationship with Tsai’s family.

Zhang said when asked by investors that as far as he was aware, Hai Pa Wang had been fined for breaching food safety regulations.