Qiu Chuizheng and Zheng Wencan, scholars in charge of the Land and Sea Sessions: Cross-Strait exchanges still depend on Lai Qingde | New Bureau of Lai Government Cabinet | Important News

On the morning of the 25th, quasi-president Lai Ching-te personally announced the list of national security chiefs. For the cross-strait section, the chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council will be taken over by Qiu Chuizheng, the current secretary-general of the Straits Exchange Foundation; the chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation will be succeeded by Vice President of the Executive Yuan Zheng Wencan. Wang Xinxian, a distinguished professor at National Chengchi University’s East Asia Institute, pointed out that Qiu Chuizheng is professional and experienced in cross-strait affairs, and Zheng Wencan actively promoted exchanges with the other side of the Taiwan Strait during his tenure as mayor of Taoyuan. Such personnel arrangements show goodwill to the mainland. He also believes that even if Qiu and Zheng are familiar with the mainland and want to communicate with it, what they can do is actually very limited before the “general direction from the top” is determined, “so you still have to wait and see.”

In an interview with this newspaper, Wang Xinxian pointed out that Qiu Chuizheng, on the one hand, was a professional in cross-strait affairs, and on the other hand, after President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016, he served as the deputy chairperson and speaker of the Mainland Affairs Council for more than 6 years, and he had great influence on the business of the Mainland Affairs Council. I must be very familiar with it, and later served in the Straits Exchange Foundation, so I have enough experience.

During his tenure as mayor of Taoyuan, Zheng Wencan established a “Cross-Strait Affairs Group” in the city government. Wang Xinxian once served as an advisory committee member and revealed that he “changed his view” of Zheng Wencan as a result.

Wang Xinxian pointed out that Zheng Wencan issued a “Taoyuan Card” to mainland students or mainland spouses in Taoyuan at that time, providing subsidies for mainland students who did not have health insurance, and also planning related benefits for mainland spouses’ newborns. In addition, Taoyuan’s statistics on mainland-related matters such as domestic births in the city, mainland distribution, and exchanges with the other side of the Taiwan Strait are quite clear, which shows its intentions.

He also mentioned that Zheng Wencan also interacted a lot with Taiwanese businessmen, including the airport city, helping to deal with the “five shortages”, or assisting Taiwanese businessmen to return to Taiwan during the epidemic. In terms of interactions with the other side of the Taiwan Strait, even if Zheng Wencan cannot go there in person, the heads of the bureaus and departments under him go to the mainland for exchanges quite frequently.

Wang Xinxian pointed out that Zheng Wencan was very willing to communicate with the other side of the Taiwan Strait when he was mayor of Taoyuan, and he had a friendly attitude towards the mainland. He was very soft when dealing with cross-strait issues. “He did not have any achievements in this (cross-strait) work under the DPP’s ruling platform. , but in fact he (Zheng Wencan) did a good job.”

As for Zheng Wencan’s position as chairman of the Shanghai Foundation, he believes that it is “tasteless to eat and a pity to abandon.” “In terms of his personal political power, this position is small,” but it can be expected that if circumstances permit, Zheng Wencan will actively promote cross-strait exchanges at the Straits Exchange Foundation and can also serve mainland students, mainland distributors and Taiwanese businessmen.

Wang Xinxian analyzed that during the second meeting between Ma and Xi, mainland leader Xi Jinping expressed goodwill towards Taiwan. Although the Mainland Affairs Council’s immediate response was a bit “misplaced”, 520 will be a new situation. Judging from the two personnel arrangements of Qiu Chuizheng and Zheng Wencan, it can be regarded as Lai Qingde’s relatively well-intentioned response to cross-strait relations. It can also be felt that Lai wants to do something different from the outside world’s perception that he is a “pragmatic Taiwan independence worker.”

But he also reminded that even if Qiu Chuizheng and Zheng Wencan are “Zhongzhong faction” and want to communicate with them, what they can do before the top-level problems are solved is actually very limited, so they still have to look to Lai Qingde.