A traditionally China-friendly organization affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday urged Beijing to refrain from labeling Taiwanese as pro-independence without concrete evidence, after a Taiwanese actress’ television show was pulled over allegations that she supports Taiwanese independence.
“The incident over Taiwanese singer and actress Ruby Lin (林心如) is unfortunate and the result of misunderstandings,” Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中) told a morning news conference in Taipei.
Chang, a political science professor at National Chengchi University, said the incident underscores a high level of hostility across the Taiwan Strait.
Photo courtesy of GTV
He also called on Beijing to rationally handle private cross-strait interactions, as “cultural exchange is the lifeline of cross-strait interactions.”
Lin rose to fame in Taiwan and China after starring in the three-season TV drama My Fair Princess (還珠格格), which was produced by Taiwanese and Chinese firms and aired in 1998.
Her new show, My Dear Boy (我的男孩), premiered in Taiwan last month and was on Sunday pulled by Chinese authorities after airing only two episodes on Tencent Holding Ltd’s (騰訊) online video platform.
The Ministry of Culture in 2016 granted a producer of the show a NT$20 million (US$677,140) subsidy, which prompted some Chinese netizens to accuse the show of being funded by “pro-independence forces” and label Lin as a supporter of Taiwanese independence, the Central News Agency said.
Lin’s office later on Sunday published a statement refuting the accusation, saying that the 42-year-old actress has never said or done anything in support of Taiwanese independence and would never do so.
It also said that the subsidy was received by Gala Television Corp (八大電視), one of the show’s producers, and that many TV series receive ministry subsidies.
School decisionmaking committee member Chiu Yi (邱毅), a former KMT lawmaker, said that although he respected Chinese consumers’ and authorities’ longtime practice of boycotting pro-independence businesses and celebrities, it should be carried out in accordance with the principle of not wronging the innocent.
“There is no direct evidence suggesting that Lin deserves the pro-independence label. She did not join the 2014 Sunflower movement, nor has she ever used any independence-leaning rhetoric,” Chiu said.
Equating ministry subsidies to support of independence reeks of McCarthyism, Chiu said, adding that doing so would not only hurt people’s feelings, but would also run counter to the spirit of China’s oft-stated phrase that “both sides belong to the same family.”
The school was established in accordance with a resolution reached by the KMT’s Central Standing Committee in November 2016, as part of the party’s reform plans following its defeat in the presidential election in January that year.
However, the school is not funded by the KMT, nor does it fall under the party’s structure.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting