TAO officials are banned from entering the Two Lakes Forum

• Authors: Chen Yu-fu and Esme Yeh / Staff reporter and author

Yesterday, a source said that officials from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) were not allowed to attend the Two Lakes Forum in Nantou County to prevent “united front” actions.

The Two Lakes Forum – a reference to Nantou’s Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) and the West Lake in Hangzhou, China – is organized annually and alternately by the Nantou County and Hangzhou City governments.

The forum, which began on Friday and is not open to the media, was attended by a 38-person delegation led by Hangzhou Deputy Mayor Xu Weihua (胥偉華).

Photo courtesy of the Nantou County government

Participants discussed topics such as culture, agriculture and tourism.

An official familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that although Beijing launched the “Shared Sword-2024B” military exercise around Taiwan on Oct. 14, the Nantou County government did not postpone the forum and continued to welcome Chinese officials to Taiwan.

The forum could be considered a warm-up for the Taipei-Shanghai Municipal Forum to be held in Taipei this year, but it was kept low-key to avoid polarizing public opinion on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, they said, adding that it also helps protect Chinese delegates.

To prevent Beijing from using the forum to engage in “united front” activities, the Council on Mainland Affairs asked the Nantou County government to sign a letter of commitment pledging that the forum would not involve propaganda or activities degrading Taiwan’s national status, said the official.

The district government must also ensure that Chinese delegates do not engage in unapproved activities and do not give interviews to the media, they said, adding that TAO officials were not allowed to enter the forum.