When Chinese authorities detained a Taiwanese citizen in China in August for an alleged violation of security laws, officials in Taipei sent messages of concern to Beijing seeking details.
The missives went unanswered, like many of the texts and faxes Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council has sent to Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office over the past six years, according to a Taipei-based person familiar with the Taiwanese government's China policy. "They ignored us," the person said.
China ended formal high-level communication with Taiwan's government in 2016 after the island's voters elected Tsai Ing-wen, whom Beijing considers a separatist, as president.