© Getty Images In Taipei, China's proposals are rejected.
China is still endeavoring to induce Taiwan to consent to “harmonious unification.” According to Reuters, Beijing communicated that Taiwan’s economy would receive unparalleled prospects if the island was to integrate with China.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, April 29, Chen Binhua, the spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, declared that Taiwan’s economy will “acquire fresh impetus” by capitalizing on the advantages of China’s expansive marketplace and its individual proficiencies in science and technology.
“Harmonious unification will furnish greater security and latent to Taiwan’s investment and business setting, which will signify an unprecedented possibility and the greatest foundation of assurance for Taiwan’s economic advancement,” he supplemented.
Taiwan stands as a prominent manufacturer of advanced semiconductors. The island’s economy experienced an 8.68% surge in 2025, marking the highest in 15 years, and forecasts project an 11.3% augmentation in the first quarter of the current year.
Addressing the situation in Taipei, Taiwan’s President William Lai stated that only by fortifying the island’s defensive capabilities can genuine peace be guaranteed.
“Unification masquerading as peace will inevitably usher unending tribulations to our nation,” Lai expressed.
He also brought to mind that China frequently undertakes operations within the “gray zone” and orchestrates military exercises in proximity to the island. According to Lai, Beijing employs a fusion of military, juridical, informational, and psychological approaches in an endeavor to alter the existing circumstances in the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan has persistently asserted that China engages in “gray zone” operations — strategies designed for attrition devoid of overt hostilities. Beijing contends that the routine military activity of the Chinese army encircling Taiwan is “completely justified.” China has presented Taiwan with autonomy modeled after Hong Kong — “one country, two systems,” but none of the island’s leading political factions endorse such a notion.
Bloomberg recently indicated that Taiwan harbors apprehensions of being on the agenda during a summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Taipei expresses unease that Trump might concede ground concerning the democratically governed island, hence it is exerting considerable effort to preempt such a scenario.
Beijing has never dismissed the option of employing force to seize Taiwan, yet underscores its preference for “harmonious unification.” Natalia Butyrskaya scrutinized how China interweaves military pressure with economic enticements and political interactions in the article “Beijing is Coming Softly: How China's Gifts Are Splitting Taiwan.”