China has announced it will resume certain ties with Taiwan, including direct flights to mainland cities and imports of Taiwanese aquaculture products. The move follows the conclusion of a visit to Beijing by the leader of Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang party, Cheng Li-wun, who met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.
The Taiwan Work Office under China's Communist Party issued a statement indicating it would explore establishing a long-term communication mechanism between the Communist Party and the Kuomintang. It also committed to facilitating the import of Taiwanese aquaculture, which had been banned in recent years. Both leaders called for peace without providing specific details.
Relations between China and Taiwan have been strained since 2016, following the election of Tsai Ing-wen from the Democratic Progressive Party as president. Since then, Beijing largely ceased official dialogue with Taiwan's government and has routinely dispatched military aircraft and vessels towards the island.
China plans to resume direct flights to Taiwan from other mainland cities such as Xi'an or Urumqi, although it remained unclear how the measures will be implemented. China also said it would work toward constructing a bridge connecting to Matsu and Kinmen, Taiwanese islands geographically closer to China, a longstanding proposal.
China banned individual trips by Chinese people to Taiwan in 2019 and extended import bans to various Taiwanese products, including pineapples, grouper fish, squid, tuna and other fruits from 2021. Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture said it approached China about meeting import requirements, receiving a limited list of allowed companies without explanation. Taiwan added it would assist farmers and businesses in expanding into overseas markets to diversify risk.
