Cross-Strait exchanges bridge divides

I was born in Taiwan in a family that has lived on the island since before 1949, which makes me a benshengren. Although distinct from waishengren who arrived on the island with Kuomintang in 1949, we share the same ancestral roots. My forefathers migrated from Zhangzhou, Fujian province, to Taiwan in the 19th century.

In essence, we are all Chinese, bound by shared heritage, history, language and culture. Due to political reasons, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait were isolated from each other for nearly 40 years. That changed in 1987, when the lifting of martial law in Taiwan allowed older Taiwan residents to travel to the mainland for family visits.

The emotional reunions opened the door to broader cross-Strait engagement, with the 1992 Consensus subsequently promoting mutual understanding and practical cooperation, leading to direct transportation links, robust trade and cultural exchanges, and a period of unprecedented warmth and goodwill.

However, the situation changed after the Democratic Progressive Party assumed office in 2016. Since then, the DPP has been pushing its "Taiwan independence" agenda, undermining trust and severing long-standing ties. As a result, cross-Strait exchanges, once vibrant and full of promise, have stalled, replaced by rising tensions and suspicion. As such, decades of progress risk being undone by short-sighted political maneuvers.

Despite this, the cultural and historical bond between the two sides remains strong. Taiwan celebrates traditional Chinese festivals, venerates historical figures such as Guan Gong and Mazu, and compatriots on both side of the Strait speak the same language. Our shared DNA cannot be denied. As someone who has always proudly identified as Chinese, I find the DPP's efforts to deny this fact deeply troubling. It's not only politically divisive but also a denial of reality.

As an educator, I have long been involved in cross-Strait academic and cultural cooperation. In 2021, I accepted the post of a professor of English at and dean of the School of Foreign Languages at Sanda University in Shanghai. Over the past four years, I have seen firsthand the chilling effect political developments have had on youth exchange programs.

Sanda University has for years been promoting cross-Strait student exchanges. Earlier this year, we planned to host more than 100 students from the island. But due to increasing restrictions imposed by the DPP authorities, many students were hesitant to visit the mainland fearing political backlash. Thus the participation of Taiwan students fell short.

Cross-Strait exchanges were quite different before the DPP took office in 2016. In 2013, I led a group of Taiwan students to Beijing to attend a youth exchange camp. For a week, students from both sides of the Strait learned and lived together, and formed bonds that endure to this day. Such exchanges plant the seeds of understanding and solidarity, whose value cannot be overstated.

My own journey across the Strait began in 1992. As a PhD candidate in the United States, I worked with mainland textbooks and grew familiar with simplified Chinese characters and Putonghua. My first mainland friend, a Peking University alumna, introduced me to Beijing and helped me audit a class at her alma mater. She and her family welcomed me like one of their own. The warmth and camaraderie I experienced during that summer are among my most cherished memories.

Arriving in Beijing for the first time, I was struck by a deep sense of belonging. Seeing the rooftops of Palace Museum (Forbidden City) from the plane and walking along Chang'an Avenue filled me with pride. It was not a visit; it was a homecoming.

Years later, I married a Shanghai resident, and we chose to settle in Shanghai, which, too, has become part of my story of cross-Strait connection.

But I'm worried that future generations may not get the same opportunities. The DPP's isolationist policies are alienating the very people it claims to represent. Its recent defeat in a major recall vote reflects growing public dissatisfaction with it, signaling that Taiwan residents want peace, stability and engagement, not division.

It's time the DPP abandoned its separatist agenda and returned to the political basis of the 1992 Consensus. Cross-Strait dialogue must be revived with sincerity and mutual respect, because continued obstruction will only deepen misunderstanding and raise the risk of confrontation, an outcome neither side desires.

Cultural affinity, familial ties and historical continuity form an unbreakable bond across the Strait. The path forward lies not in separation, but in reconnection. Cross-Strait exchanges must not be stopped. Our shared future depends on it.

The author is dean of the School of Foreign Languages at Sanda University in Shanghai. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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