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Taiwan offices in China a dangerous idea

TAIPEI — Both the New Taipei City Government and the Taipei City Government have announced plans to open liaison offices in China to assist Taiwanese citizens and promote business ties.
In the current context, such plans hold many pitfalls, and could play into Beijing’s efforts to bypass and discredit central Government institutions in Taiwan.
Announcements by New Taipei City Mayor, Eric Chu, of the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, an independent, prompted a response from Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) emphasising that decisions on initiatives pertaining to cross-Strait relations are the remit of the Central Government.