China mainland releases 10 measures towards Taiwan; Lai government criticizes that it should not become a bargaining chip for a specific political party.

After the meeting between Kuomintang Chairperson Zheng Lizhen and Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping, China announced 10 measures for cross-strait exchanges on Sunday (April 12), including promoting water and electricity connections between Fujian coastal areas and Kinmen and Matsu, and restarting free travel for residents of Shanghai and Fujian to Taiwan. The Taiwanese government strongly criticized, stating that any exchange arrangement should not come with political preconditions and should not become a bargaining chip for political transactions of specific parties. Zheng Lizhen returned to Taipei from Beijing on Sunday evening. She thanked the mainland for its benevolent policies towards Taiwan in a media interview and emphasized that she had instructed the vice-chairperson to form a working group to implement and connect with the mainland window, stating, "In youth exchanges, agriculture, fisheries, and micro-enterprises, the Kuomintang can provide specific ...