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Don’t ‘act blindly’ on Taiwan: Beijing should resist US pressure and stay own course, policy influencer says
- Sun Yafu, deputy head of cross-strait affairs group, says Beijing should strive for peaceful reunification while preparing for military struggle
- The remarks offer rare glimpse into mainland China’s strategy regarding strained ties with Taipei
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Amber Wangin Beijing
Beijing should avoid acting blindly on Taiwan in the face of increasing pressure from the US, according to Sun Yafu, a former mainland official and influential figure for Beijing’s Taiwan policy.
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Sun said mainland China was “facing more severe and complex challenges and risks” in cross-strait ties, and “high winds” and “even turbulent waves” were “still highly possible” – an apparent reference to the possibility of a military conflict.
He made the speech during a forum on Taiwan issues in eastern Zhejiang province on Wednesday, with the speech published on the social media account of a cross-strait studies journal on the same day.
Sun is deputy head of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, Beijing’s semi-official group for handling cross-strait matters.
The body was created in 1991 as an unofficial representative of the mainland Chinese government in its dealings with Taipei, which has a similar group for dealing with Beijing. The groups were established so the island and the mainland could interact without the official endorsement of the other side’s government.
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