Beijing reaches out to young Taiwanese with summertime sweeteners
Groups from primary and high schools have been invited to visit mainland during vacation
Beijing is actively reaching out to younger Taiwanese this summer after giving up on top-level contacts with the island’s administration.
With Taiwanese still enjoying freedom of movement despite strained cross-strait relations, local authorities on the mainland have invited many Taiwanese grass-roots leaders and students to visit the mainland for a variety of activities in the past year. They’ve included cultural and education events, interschool contests, research on community service and elderly health care, internships and seminars on job creation and business start-ups – anything that could appeal to ordinary Taiwanese, and especially younger islanders.
And the invitations have been arriving more frequently since the summer vacation started in July, with more than a dozen Taiwanese groups, including some from primary and high schools, reported to have been invited to visit the mainland.
Analysts say it’s evidence that Beijing is stepping up efforts to woo younger Taiwanese.
“Beijing has given up hope on the Taiwanese authorities and has instead devoted itself to promoting economic and social integration by way of the grass-roots and youth sectors,” said Pang Chien-kuo, a professor of mainland studies at Taipei’s Chinese Culture University.
