Industry Suspected of Being Pressured to Take a Stand; Shen Yu-chung: CCP's 'Using Business to Pressure Politics' is an Open Secret

The CCP's Taiwan Affairs Office has issued 10 measures regarding Taiwan, and rumors suggest China is pressuring Taiwanese industries to take a political stance. Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung stated today that there are currently no such specific cases, but the CCP's practice of 'using business to pressure politics' is an open secret. He called on the industry to prioritize national interests and work with the government to defend the country's sovereignty.

Shen attended a forum titled 'Forecasting the Xi-Trump Meeting from the Xi-Zheng Meeting: Exploring the CCP's Policy Toward Taiwan' on the afternoon of the 21st. In a media interview, he stated that communication with businesses has always been smooth. Regarding the current situation, he expressed hope that businesses understand economic exchanges should not sacrifice national sovereignty, and cross-strait exchanges should be depoliticized and de-risked.

He pointed out that in the process of economic exchange, the government has its considerations and hopes that businesses can stand with the government, making national security a common goal to defend the sovereignty of the Republic of China.

Regarding allegations that Beijing is demanding Taiwanese business groups support 10 Taiwan-related policies, Shen stated that there is no concrete situation at present, 'but we believe that the CCP's past practice of using business to pressure politics is already an open secret.' He urged the industry to see clearly the CCP's United Front intentions toward Taiwan and its practice of politicizing business to force Taiwan to accept political premises.

Shen expressed hope that businesses could stand on the premise of the overall national interest and work with the government to defend national sovereignty. 'After all, if there is no sovereignty, all development is fake. The case of Hong Kong has told us that without freedom and democracy, no economic industry can develop sustainably.'

Shen stated that for any cross-strait exchange, it is hoped that it can return to official negotiations, and Beijing is expected to face the existence of the Republic of China. Regarding the CCP's 10 measures toward Taiwan, the government is not staying inactive because of the Trump-Xi meeting; the real problem is that Beijing is unwilling to face the Republic of China government and only chooses specific political premises. 'Even after the Trump-Xi meeting, if they still only use the 1992 Consensus without the Republic of China, and if they only choose to talk about public issues with specific political parties, there will still be no breakthrough.'