As China holds its annual plenary sessions of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a number of Taiwanese entertainers on Chinese social media shared Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s (王毅) assertion that Taiwan could only be a province of China. It was another demonstrration of China “using Taiwanese against Taiwan” to sow discord.
Wang at a news conference on Friday last week again distorted UN Resolution 2758 and claimed that “Taiwan’s only designation at the UN is ‘Taiwan Province, China,’” ignoring the fact that the resolution never mentioned Taiwan.
Wang’s aim was to deliver a diplomatic message to counter US President Donald Trump’s hawkish stance toward China, as demonstrated by his administration’s removal of a statement on the US Department of State’s Web site that the US “does not support Taiwan independence,” and claims that “China has increasingly attempted to manipulate and subvert international organizations.”
According to a news release of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang’s rhetoric was also a response “to the narrative questioning UN Resolution 2758,” which further exposes the anxiety in Beijing about increasing pressure from the international community, including parliamentary motions in Australia and some European countries affirming that the resolution does not establish Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan, which challenges Beijing’s distortion of the UN resolution.
However, a number of Taiwanese entertainers working in China shared Wang’s remarks on Chinese social media. Taking a Chinese traditional strategic warfare of “using foreigners to subdue foreigners,” the posts demonstrate a worrisome trend, as China and its state media use these “united front” tactics to pressure Taiwanese in China to echo the country’s propaganda to impact public opinion in Taiwan.
Although the influence of the China-based entertainers has diminished due to their repeated undermining of Taiwan’s dignity, it cannot be overlooked that China has intensified its “united front” tactics with its infiltration and manipulation of pro-China Taiwanese.
Some influencers have said that Beijing pays Taiwanese Internet celebrities to promote its narratives. A Taiwan Information Environment Research Center report last year said that Chinese state media have massively quoted pro-China Taiwanese political commentators — most of them Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) politicians — to criticize Taiwan. The report said that China is taking advantage of freedom of speech in Taiwan to “use Taiwanese to criticize Taiwan” and make them “public opinion weapons” to build a negative image of Taiwan’s government.
On Monday, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was summoned for questioning by the National Immigration Agency, which is investigating comments made by a Chinese student visiting Taiwan at the invitation of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, referring to the national baseball team as “China Taipei.”
Instead of answering questions about the foundation likely contravening the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入臺灣地區許可辦法) by failing to supervise the group of Chinese students on making statements that “undermine the status of Taiwan,” Ma complained that the government is blocking cross-strait youth exchanges, taking a tone resembling China’s Taiwan Affairs Office’s criticism of Taiwan on the issue.
Ma’s action has regrettably made him into another political mouthpiece of Chinese propaganda.
The government should take a tougher stance on law enforcement to curb and regulate Taiwanese acting in concert with Beijing to create turmoil in Taiwan. More importantly, the public should exercise caution and resist “united front” tactics to safeguard the nation.
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