Taipei Times
Date: Oct 29, 2017 
Translated by staff writers Jonathan Chin and William Hetherington

Liberty Times (LT): What sorts of “united front” tactics have China employed

Overseas Community Affairs Council Minister Wu Hsin-hsing gestures during an interview in Taipei on Oct. 12.  Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

in the overseas compatriot community since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) assumed office more than a year ago? How have the strategies evolved? How has the OCAC responded?

Wu Hsin-hsing (吳新興): China has always used united front tactics in the overseas compatriot community, but during Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administrations, the two sides did not seem as adversarial, so China was targeting these communities less intensely.

After May 20 last year, the new Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government posited its own views on cross-strait issues, which apparently was not to Beijing’s liking, so it began to blockade Taiwan’s economic and diplomatic efforts. Those policies expanded to include attempts to suppress Taiwanese independence and promote unification in overseas communities.    [FULL  INTERVIEW]