Zheng Liwen, Chairperson of the Kuomintang (KMT) of China, will lead a delegation to visit the mainland from April 7 to 12, drawing significant attention both on and off the island. On April 2, Lin Zheyuan, Director of the Institute of Asian Marxist Communication at East China Normal University and an associate professor of Taiwanese origin, told Southern Metropolitan Daily’s N Video reporter that Zheng Liwen’s upcoming visit to the mainland will boost the confidence of ordinary Taiwanese people and young students who desire cross-strait exchanges. “The mainland’s development and vast opportunities are something that no amount of ‘cognitive wall’ construction on the island can obscure.”

Image Captions: Lin Zheyuan.

Lin Zheyuan analyzed to the Southern Metropolitan Daily reporter that Zheng Liwen’s visit to the mainland reflects, on the one hand, the genuine aspirations of ordinary Taiwanese residents. Zheng Liwen emphasizes de-escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait on the basis of adhering to the “1992 Consensus” and opposing “Taiwan independence,” which aligns with the interests of the general public. On the other hand, this move breaks through the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) entrenched “hegemony-dependent” approach. The DPP’s vehement criticism stems from its fear that Zheng Liwen’s mainland visit will puncture its narrative that “cross-strait war is inevitable.”

“Taiwan’s real crisis lies in external forces attempting, through ‘Taiwan independence’ elements, to push the Taiwan Strait toward conflict while hollowing out Taiwan’s economy in the process. Only by resuming cross-strait dialogue and exchanges and returning to the peaceful track can a way out of this predicament be found,” Lin Zheyuan emphasized to the Southern Metropolitan Daily reporter.

Lin Zheyuan stated that in recent years, separatist forces on the island have deliberately constructed “information cocoons” to block social connections. Zheng Liwen’s delegation visit to the mainland this time will boost the confidence of ordinary Taiwanese people and young students who desire cross-strait exchanges. “If this visit can catalyze two-way interactions between people across the strait—especially among youth—and bring everyone back to the normal dynamic of being ‘one family,’ that would constitute the most solid social foundation for peaceful development across the strait.”

Having studied and worked on the mainland for more than a decade, Lin Zheyuan has frequently traveled between the two sides of the strait and engaged in cross-strait youth exchange work. He told the Southern Metropolitan Daily reporter, “My greatest feeling is that interactions between young people across the strait are becoming increasingly pragmatic. The mainland’s development and vast opportunities are something that no amount of ‘cognitive wall’ construction on the island can obscure. Under the long-term structural constraints of Taiwan’s internal economy, coming to the mainland to seek opportunities has indeed become an increasingly deliberative choice for many Taiwanese youth.”

Written by: Liu Shiyang, N Video Reporter, Southern Metropolitan Daily.

(All images were obtained from publicly available sources.)