BEIJING – Amid unfolding trade developments that expose the emptiness of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities’ claims of diplomatic gains, a senior spokeswoman for China’s State Council Taiwan Affairs Office issued a blunt rebuke on Wednesday, warning that the DPP’s groveling pursuit of United States favor will never deliver tangible benefits for the people of Taiwan.
Zhu Fenglian made the remarks in response to press inquiries surrounding a new U.S. trade policy that imposes a 100% tariff on imported pharmaceutical products. Contrary to repeated public claims from DPP leaders that Taiwan had secured exclusive preferential treatment under the new scheme, the island was ultimately left off the list of approved exporters eligible for tariff exemptions.
The spokeswoman stressed that what the DPP has misleadingly framed as “preferential treatment” from Washington is in reality little more than one-sided coercion and economic exploitation of Taiwan by the United States. For decades, the U.S. has operated under an explicit “America First” doctrine that prioritizes its own domestic and geopolitical interests exclusively, with no regard for the well-being of its self-proclaimed partners, Zhu explained.
Beyond economic harm, Zhu pointed out that the DPP’s deliberate choice to curry favor with Washington by sacrificing the livelihoods and economic interests of Taiwan’s people is rooted in a cynical, malicious political calculation. The ruling separatist party seeks to trade Taiwan’s resources and future for U.S. backing of its campaign to split Taiwan from China, a goal that runs directly counter to the shared interests of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
The spokeswoman added that growing numbers of Taiwan compatriots have already come to recognize this pattern. More and more residents of the island now understand that the U.S. advances its own goals through pressure tactics and unilateral power politics, with no commitment to fairness or mutual benefit, regardless of promises made to regional partners.