Scholars and experts on the Taiwan question gathered in Beijing on Sunday to discuss political shifts in the region and the future of cross-Strait relations, condemning local Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te for seceding Taiwan from China.
Lai's speech on Oct 10, marked by resistance to the Chinese mainland and rejection of reunification, has sparked outcry on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Various sectors across the Strait have deplored Lai for repackaging his separatist rhetoric under the new "two states" illusion.
In his speech, Lai put up a fresh version of "two states" fallacy, asserting that the two sides of the Strait do not belong to each other.
"The core of Lai's illusion remains focused on splitting China. As we all know, in his speech on May 20, his separatist remarks and attitude were very arrogant. The nature of his remarks on Oct 10 repeated the 'two states' fallacy," said Li Zhenguang, head of the Institute of Taiwan Studies under the Beijing Union University.
Since he took office in May, Lai has consistently portrayed himself as a "pragmatic Taiwan secession worker," while scholars attending the seminar described him as a "pragmatic war instigator."
Regarding the future of cross-Strait relations, scholars said it is complicated but improving.
"In my opinion, cross-Strait relations are complicated but improving. The complexity lies in Lai's primary goal of securing re-election in 2028," said Yang Jinghua, associated research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
She said that the Chinese central government has already taken steps to contain Taiwan secessionist activities, so as to bring the ties to a better direction.
Other experts suggested that a broader framework is required when analyzing the Taiwan question.
"Cross-Strait ties cannot be analyzed solely from the perspective of two sides of the Taiwan Strait, but the issue should also be viewed within the broader framework of strategic competition between China and the United States, because the analysis of cross-Strait ties cannot be done without analyzing the cross-Pacific ties," said Wang Yingjin, director of the Cross-Strait Relations Research Center under the Renmin University of China.
They also said that Lai's secessionist attempts can never shake the foundation of cross-Strait relations.