TAIPEI (TVBS News) — China lashed out at Taiwan's president on Wednesday (April 16), condemning Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) economic decoupling strategy as a dangerous gambit that threatens decades of cross-strait financial integration. Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office (國台辦) characterized the policy as destructive, warning it would ultimately lead to Taiwan's economic demise.
President Lai, who took office last year amid rising tensions with Beijing, has repeatedly emphasized his vision of economic diversification. Recently, he stated that "northern democratic countries globally" are actively courting Taiwan's tech sector, arguing that pivoting away from China toward these democratic allies would strengthen Taiwan's international standing and economic security.
The dispute comes against a backdrop of surprisingly robust economic ties. The General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (中華人民共和國海關總署) reported Monday that cross-strait commerce outpaced China's overall foreign trade during the first quarter of 2025, with mainland exports to Taiwan jumping 8.3% while imports from the island surged by 17.8%.
Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮), the Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson, urged Taiwanese companies to deepen their mainland investments rather than retreat. She characterized the extensive cross-strait supply chain integration as a natural market evolution seeking efficiency, implicitly challenging President Lai's characterization of economic ties with China as a vulnerability rather than an asset.
Beijing's criticism extended beyond economics into cultural identity. Zhu accused President Lai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) of systematic "de-sinicization" through educational materials that she claimed distort young Taiwanese people's sense of identity. "Both sides of the strait belong to one China, and Taiwan is an inseparable part of China," she insisted, framing this as historical truth rather than political position. ★
