Taiwan's top China policy official says Beijing seeks 'de facto unification' by governing before unifying

TAIPEI

Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正), minister of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, said in a closing speech at an international conference at the Shangri-La Far Eastern Hotel in Taipei on Oct. 20 (local time) that the Chinese Communist Party will push "a more aggressive and provocative 'exercising jurisdiction before achieving unification' (未統先治)." The term means exercising jurisdiction and governance over Taiwan before achieving unification, and the council's English version rendered it as "exercising jurisdiction before achieving unification." Chiu named four paths: coast guard patrols, blocking Taiwan's international space, transnational repression and "national treatment" incentives. He said China seeks to use them to create "de facto unification" (事實統一) and make it harder for the international community to help Taiwan. The council released the full text of the speech in Chinese and English the same day.

Chiu warns Chinese pressure will grow ahead of Fifth Plenum and 21st Party Congress

The conference was titled "Development Trends and Impacts of Mainland China amid International Political and Economic Upheaval." The council commissioned the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) to hold it. According to a press release (No. 053) issued by the council the previous day, the opening address was delivered by National Security Council Secretary-General Wu Jaushieh (吳釗燮). Randall Schriver, chairman of the U.S.-based Institute for Indo-Pacific Security, gave the keynote speech. Scholars from the United States, the Philippines, Germany, South Korea and Japan attended, and Renato Cruz De Castro, distinguished professor of international studies at De La Salle University in the Philippines, was also on the list.

Chiu opened his speech by noting the calendar. "In a few days, the Chinese Communist Party's 'Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee' will be held," he said. He predicted the plenum would further cement the status of Xi Jinping's thought on party building and eliminate dissent over Xi entering a fourth term at the 21st Party Congress in 2027.

He also cited U.S.-China relations as a variable. Chiu said that while Washington and Beijing are trying to build a "constructive strategic stability relationship," "the approaching U.S. midterm elections and the Chinese Communist Party's '21st Party Congress' will shake the future of U.S.-China relations." He added that this trend also affects the regional situation and the Taiwan Strait.

Chiu directly linked the Xi regime's timetable to pressure on Taiwan. "If Xi Jinping enters a fourth term at the '21st Party Congress' in 2027, his mission to push unification and complete national rejuvenation will become even more urgent," he said. He predicted China would gradually change and erode the status quo in the Taiwan Strait through "unilateral escalation measures."

Council says Xi regime is heading toward three extremes

Chiu said "three extreme trends" had emerged in Chinese Communist Party politics. The first concerns the power structure. He said that as China has shifted from past "collective leadership" to "highly centralized leadership" and further to "one-man rule," "the risk of policy decisions going astray has increased." He said the Chinese Communist Party is using "strict party governance" as a pretext to conduct political vetting and purge opponents.

The second is "fanatical nationalism." Chiu said China is promoting patriotism at home and preparing a whole-of-nation system and national defense mobilization. Abroad, he said, it is strengthening strategic cooperation with Russia and North Korea and "expanding and provoking through military hegemony and wolf-warrior (戰狼) diplomacy" in an attempt to dominate the western Pacific.

The third is regime legitimacy. Chiu said the Xi regime has built the legitimacy of its continued rule on "the historic mission of completing 'the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation' through 'unifying Taiwan and replacing the United States.'" He added that China propagandizes this as "becoming reality step by step." Chiu said that as these three converge, China is heading toward "an unprecedented 'neo-totalitarianism,'" increasing threats to security, prosperity and democratic governance in the region and the world.

He said the root of instability in the Taiwan Strait also lies in Beijing. Chiu said that since 2022, when Xi's third term began, China has applied "compound pressure, including military threats, diplomatic pressure, economic coercion, social infiltration, lawfare and cognitive warfare" and has sought to impose the "one country, two systems Taiwan plan." He said China's goal is to force Taiwan onto "an irreversible one-way path to unification."

First path extends to 'regularized law enforcement patrols' led by coast guard and research vessels

The first path Chiu cited is drawing the Taiwan issue into China's administrative and judicial jurisdiction. He said China is "using coast guard ships and scientific research vessels to claim 'regularized law enforcement patrols' and resource exploration around the Taiwan Strait and outlying islands, carrying out gray-zone incursions."

The same scene appears in a recent announcement by Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration. The administration said on Oct. 16 that Chinese coast guard ships 3301 and 3303 entered Taiwan's restricted waters southwest of the Dongsha (東沙) area. The two ships were detected at around 2 p.m. and entered the restricted waters at 3:34 p.m. The administration dispatched the Qijin and patrol boat PP-10032 to shadow them one-on-one and demanded their departure through broadcasts in Chinese and English.

The administration said it had driven away Chinese coast guard ships in Dongsha waters 11 times in all, involving 14 ship sorties. It condemned China for trying to create an illusion of jurisdiction through "fake law enforcement, real expansion of authority." It said Taiwan has "indisputable sovereignty" over the Dongsha atoll and surrounding waters.

Second path: 'international one China' pressure spreads to representative offices and officials of allies

The second path is inscribing the "one China" principle in the international order. Chiu said China presses other countries to close Taiwan's representative offices or move them out of their capitals, and demands that Taiwanese nationals abroad seek consular protection from Chinese embassies. He said China "crudely and violently sanctions officials of our diplomatic allies on the grounds of violating the 'one China principle.'" He said China "even blocked President Lai's visit to our ally Eswatini."

Third path, transnational repression, targets even President Lai's family

The third path is transnational repression. Chiu said China regards Taiwanese as Chinese citizens and seeks to apply Chinese citizens' obligations and China's national security laws to them. He said China "sends people to Taiwan or hires people to carry out violent attacks, stalking, paint-throwing and anonymous threats, and even monitored President Lai's family in the United States."

The council said in an earlier press release (No. 048) on Oct. 5 that the Chinese Communist Party had sent people to monitor and collect information on relatives of President Lai Ching-te and that it "strongly condemns" this. The council said in the same release that "targets of transnational repression aimed at Taiwan number at least 126 people, involving 140 instances." The council noted that filming and stalking by local collaborators directed by China "constitute federal felonies in the United States," but said there is no law to punish the same acts when they occur in Taiwan. The Taiwanese government said it is pursuing amendments to the Anti-Infiltration Act.

Taiwan's judicial authorities also responded. The council said in a press release (No. 049) on Oct. 6 that the Taichung District Prosecutors Office had indicted a man surnamed Liao (廖) who came to Taiwan from Hong Kong and committed violence. The council alleged that the defendant had received overseas funding and said prosecutors are continuing to track down those who directed him and his collaborators in Taiwan.

During the same period, China targeted even a family business of a person it has labeled a "diehard Taiwan independence separatist." Chen Binhua (陈斌华), spokesperson for China's State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, alleged at a regular briefing on Oct. 14 that a company headed by Shen Tu-cheng (沈土城), father of Puma Shen (沈伯洋), had been disciplined in June last year and since then "has continued trading and cooperating with mainland companies under the name of another company, VWAY, to evade sanctions." The office announced a ban on all transactions and cooperation between VWAY and mainland organizations, companies and individuals. It did not state the legal provision on which the measure was based.

Fourth path, 'national treatment' and 'same-city integration,' seeks to draw in Taiwan's outlying islands

The fourth path is incentives. Chiu said China "lures Taiwanese to the mainland with so-called national treatment and has them obtain mainland China identity documents." He said the policy blurs Taiwanese people's national identity. He said China "touts providing 'same-city integration' (同城化) public services to our outlying islands by using the construction of infrastructure such as water, electricity, gas, bridges and airports."

Chiu tied the four paths together. He said China "uses 'quantitative change' to bring about 'qualitative change,' gradually eroding the status quo in the Taiwan Strait," seeking to cement a "new normal" (新常態). He said that before annexing Taiwan, China is "steadily pushing forward jurisdiction, governing authority and international recognition" to build momentum toward "de facto unification."

The council also drew a line on commemorations held by China. The council said in a press release (No. 052) on Oct. 15 that it would not approve applications to travel to the mainland to attend the "Commemoration of the 160th Anniversary of the Birth of Sun Yat-sen (孫中山)" organized by the Chinese Communist Party. It told those who have worked at defense, foreign affairs, mainland affairs and national security agencies to observe relevant regulations including Article 9-3 of the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area.

Same day in Beijing, TAO Director Song Tao urges U.S. side to oppose 'Taiwan independence'

On the day of Chiu's speech, Song Tao (宋涛), director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, met in Beijing with a delegation led by Elliott, president and CEO of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP). According to the office, Song said "President Xi Jinping recently made a state visit to the United States, leading to new development of the China-U.S. constructive strategic stability relationship." Song urged the U.S. side to "adhere to the correct position of opposing 'Taiwan independence' and handle the Taiwan issue prudently." He also said he hoped the United States would "abide by the one-China principle, oppose 'Taiwan independence' and support China's reunification." He said China "resolutely strikes at 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces, opposes interference by external forces and safeguards peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

The office said the U.S. side stated that "it is very important for China and the United States to maintain close communication, and cross-strait exchanges, cooperation and integrated development are conducive to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait region." On the day Chiu identified "same-city integration" and "national treatment" as tools of unification work, the office presented the statement that "integrated development" is conducive to peace as remarks by the U.S. side.

The two sides also differ on conditions for dialogue. Chen, the office's spokesperson, was asked at the Oct. 14 briefing about Lai's National Day speech. The question quoted Lai as saying he would "continue to advance defense reform and investment and strengthen asymmetric capabilities." Chen denounced this as "deceiving the world and misleading people with double-faced tactics" and said Lai "does not know his own limits." He said, "Only by recognizing the '1992 Consensus,' which embodies the one-China principle, and stopping 'Taiwan independence' separatist acts can cross-strait consultations and dialogue resume."

The council, by contrast, has called for dialogue without preconditions. Shen Yu-chung (沈有忠), deputy minister of the Mainland Affairs Council, urged the Chinese Communist Party on Oct. 12 at a forum on "The President's 2026 National Day Address and the New Cross-Strait Situation" hosted by Tunghai University's (東海大學) Center for China Studies to engage in "dialogue with our democratically elected government on the basis of parity and dignity and without political preconditions." At the same event, Shen condemned China's announcement of military operations in surrounding waters, including the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea, the Bohai Sea and the South China Sea, after Taiwan's National Day. The council said the move "not only proves the Chinese Communist Party's hegemonic mentality but has repeatedly made it a troublemaker in the region."

Taiwan's government calls for dialogue with its elected government on the basis of parity and dignity

Chiu said the Lai Ching-te government's cross-strait policy aims to maintain a peaceful and stable status quo. "The government's cross-strait policy maintains the status quo, neither servile nor arrogant (不卑不亢)," he said. "Taiwan's future must be decided by its 23 million people." He said the government is building up national defense, establishing economic security and strengthening cooperation with democracies through its "Four Pillars of Peace action plan."

Chiu also cited international attention. "G7 countries including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom and France, the European Union, and Indo-Pacific countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines place great importance on peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," he said. He cited three reasons for Taiwan's importance. Taiwan sits at the geopolitical core of the first island chain, and "nearly 50% of the world's container ships must pass through the Taiwan Strait," he said. He also said "Taiwan produces about 90% of the world's most advanced-process semiconductors." He added that a "democratic Taiwan" also offers a better way of life to people in mainland China.

"Taiwan cherishes peace but will not give up freedom," Chiu said. He said Taiwan is willing to engage in healthy and orderly exchanges with the Beijing authorities under the principles of parity and dignity, but "firmly rejects united front work of 'unification packaged as peace.'" He called on the Chinese Communist Party to "face squarely the objective fact that the Republic of China (Taiwan) exists" and to engage in dialogue with Taiwan's democratically elected government.

Other Taiwanese government officials have recently voiced similar views. In a speech on Oct. 17 at the 2026 annual meeting and international conference of the Chinese Association of Political Science, Deputy Minister Shen noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of Taiwan's direct presidential elections and said "nearly 8 in 10 citizens support the Taiwan Strait status quo that 'the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other.'" He warned that China could interfere in Taiwan's democratic process ahead of this year's local elections. President Lai Ching-te also cited "China's threats and united front infiltration" at the opening ceremony of the Overseas Community Affairs Council conference (僑務委員會議) on Oct. 20 and said Taiwan "must guard against communist infiltration." According to the Presidential Office, this year's local elections (the nine-in-one elections) will be held on Nov. 28.

Sources (KST)

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