Accusations that the Taiwanese member of the South Korean pop group TWICE, Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), was a “pro-Taiwanese independence” activist has caused China’s Huawei Technologies Co (華為) to demand LG Uplus drop Chou from endorsing its Y6 chain of cellphones.
According to reports by South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo yesterday, Huawei customer service personnel Chang Xiaoyun (張曉雲) posted on a Chinese microblogging service on Tuesday night that Huawei is demanding that LG Uplus drop all cooperation with Chou.
Chou endorsed the Y6 series of Huawei’s telephones, which has seen more than 20,000 sales in South Korea since its arrival last month, the online report said.
Photo: screen grab from the Internet
According to another report from South Korea’s CBS No Cut News, the sudden and unilateral decision by Huawei to stop cooperating with Chou was because Taiwanese singer Huang An (黃安) said Chou is a “pro-Taiwanese independence” activist.
Huang, despite being Taiwanese by birth, began developing his career in China in the late 1990s. Huang has made a name for himself in recent years by informing the Chinese government and netizens about what he regards as pro-Taiwanese independence individuals and their activities.
Chou is not the first Taiwanese celebrity to have been subjected to Huang’s tip-offs.
Photo: screen grab from the Internet
Chou was recently seen holding the Republic of China (ROC) and South Korean flags during a My Little Show taping on South Korean TV channel MBC.
Chou’s management agency, JYP Entertainment Corp, has canceled all of Chou’s shows in China and said her activities in China have been halted until the allegations have been clarified, the report said.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party (PFP) both responded in support of Chou yesterday.
Photo: Screengrab from the Internet
KMT Culture and Communications Committee director-general Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said that the KMT supported and affirmed Chou’s choice to develop her career abroad.
PFP presidential candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜) praised Chou for the act of holding the flag, stating that to be Taiwanese is to support the continued existence of the ROC.
Meanwhile, Huang has returned to Taiwan ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday and is said to be fearing for his safety. Huang has reportedly written to former Bamboo Union (竹聯幫) gang leader Chang An-le (張安樂), known as “the White Wolf,” asking for protection.
Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei Times
Chang yesterday released online messages between himself and some friends, in which his friends said that Huang asked for protection due to Taiwanese singer Lai Ming-wei’s (賴銘偉) younger brother having “alleged connections” to the Bamboo Union.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday said that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival-threatening situation," Takaichi was quoted as saying in the report. Under Japan’s security legislation,
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