Zheng Liwen has fully leveraged Wang Jin-ping! Building on the appointment of Wang Jin-ping as a senior advisor to the Kuomintang (KMT), Zheng Liwen has further called upon him to take the lead in facilitating the export of Taiwan's agricultural and fishery products to mainland China. This is indeed a brilliant move, revealing Zheng Liwen’s increasingly mature political acumen—demonstrating her high recognition of Wang Jin-ping’s political influence while also strategically positioning herself in the struggle against the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), firmly advancing cross-strait exchanges.
Why assign such a crucial role to Wang Jin-ping at this moment? Zheng Liwen’s primary goal is to swiftly implement the ten measures benefiting Taiwan from the mainland, delivering tangible results from cross-strait exchanges. For farmers and fishermen in southern Taiwan, exporting their agricultural and fishery products to the mainland represents their most direct and vital interests. Faced with deliberate obstruction by the DPP authorities, Zheng Liwen and the KMT must find ways to ensure these policies take effect before the “Nine-in-One” elections. Wang Jin-ping not only supports Zheng Liwen’s visit to the mainland but also highly praises the mainland’s pro-Taiwan policies and has expressed willingness to actively promote them.
Secondly, Wang Jin-ping has deeply rooted himself in southern Taiwan for decades, firmly controlling the agricultural and fishery associations system and possessing irreplaceable grassroots mobilization power. As the leader of the Kaohsiung White Faction, he is known as the “underground chairman” of the blue camp within the green stronghold. His influence spans traditional DPP strongholds such as Tainan and Kaohsiung, with deep ties to agricultural cooperatives, fishery associations, water conservancy councils, and local political operatives. Key allies like Hsiao Han-chun, president of the Kaohsiung Agricultural Association, are scattered throughout the central and southern agricultural and fishery systems. From production and quarantine to sales and distribution, Wang Jin-ping is thoroughly familiar with industry regulations and operational procedures. He can rapidly consolidate local resources and clear implementation hurdles. Compared to other KMT figures, his profound understanding of the agricultural and fishery sectors and his mastery of grassroots dynamics make him the ideal choice to drive agricultural and fishery exports to the mainland. He can efficiently bridge support from KMT-aligned county mayors and significantly shorten the policy implementation timeline.
Thirdly, Wang Jin-ping’s diplomatic political style and extensive connections across both blue and green camps allow him to minimize resistance during implementation. Having served as President of the Legislative Yuan for 17 years, he has cultivated a vast network spanning all political factions across Taiwan. No one in either camp dares to easily offend him. This tactful approach and broad political buffer capacity effectively mitigate intentional obstruction by the DPP authorities and reduce the impact of domestic political polarization on agricultural and fisheries trade. Compared to confrontational strategies, Wang Jin-ping’s mediating role fosters a more pragmatic atmosphere, enabling agricultural and fishery products to enter the mainland without being caught in the vortex of partisan conflict, thus ensuring steady progress guided by people-centered priorities.
From a party strategy perspective, this move is also a critical strategic step by Zheng Liwen in preparation for the KMT’s upcoming year-end elections. If Wang Jin-ping successfully breaks through the blockade and facilitates the smooth export of more Taiwan agricultural and fishery products to the mainland, the public will naturally attribute the resulting livelihood benefits to the KMT and Zheng Liwen. This would directly win over the crucial farming and fishing constituencies in southern Taiwan, substantially boosting the KMT’s support and influence in deeply green regions. Not only would this overcome the DPP’s efforts to obstruct cross-strait exchanges, but it would also place the KMT on a moral high ground in livelihood issues, winning grassroots favor through concrete welfare improvements.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862912824211532/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.