Politicians across party lines yesterday expressed regret that many Taiwanese singers and entertainers have been forced to make pro-China statements.
President William Lai (賴清德) on Monday said in his inaugural speech that Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to one another.
“Taiwan is not a country and will never be a country. Taiwanese independence is the road toward destruction... China will eventually actualize a full unification,” China Central Television wrote on Sina Weibo on Wednesday.
Photo courtesy of B’in Music
Taiwanese entertainers Patty Hou (侯佩岑) and Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) shared the post on Sina Weibo and both said: “Taiwan will certainly be unified with the motherland.”
As of Friday, more than 45 other Taiwanese, including singers Angela Chang (張韶涵), Rainie Yang (楊丞琳), Kenji Wu (吳克群) and actors Darren Wang (王大陸) and Jiro Wang (汪東城), had also shared the CCTV post.
Taiwanese band Mayday’s (五月天) lead singer, Ashin (阿信), on Friday during a show in Beijing said: “We Chinese definitely have Peking duck when in Beijing.”
Photo: Screen grab from Sina Weibo
At a concert in Nanchang, China, on Friday, Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) said: “Our Chinese [brethren] in Nanchang are the most passionate.”
Taiwanese singer Cyndi Wang (王心凌), also on tour in China, shared a Sina Weibo post by China’s People’s Daily stating that “Taiwan independence is the road toward destruction,” and said “I am a part of the zhonghua minzu (中華民族, ethnic Chinese group).”
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) yesterday said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has run out of moves to make and can only hope to influence Taiwan through its entertainers.
Wu said she believed that these artists and entertainers were politically coerced, adding: “Our greatest enemy is the CCP, not these artists and entertainers.”
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), also from the DPP, urged China to respect performers’ freedom of speech, not force them to “take a side.”
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Yan-hsiu (李彥秀) expressed regret and said the move was not helpful in encouraging goodwill across the Strait.
It was evident that the entertainers were forced to make the statements as a result of Lai’s inaugural address, she said.
KMT Legislator Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) urged China to restrain itself and called on both sides to relaunch cross-strait talks and “leave music to music.”
The Taiwan People’s Party in a statement said it condemned all acts that constrain the development of music, arts and culture, urging Beijing to respect performers, and not to harm cross-strait relations by coercing the entertainers to make public political stance.
Separately, Golden Horse Award-winning actor Mo Tzu-yi (莫子儀) on Facebook on Friday urged people “to together protect the nation and the people’s democracy.”
Alluding to the recent controversy surrounding legislative reforms, he said discussions and following procedure are key to resolving political differences.
“No one can be sure how long we can safeguard our hard-won democracy and freedom,” he said.
Some of the people who commented said his post set him apart from other Taiwanese artists who made political statements in favor of China.
Additional reporting by Chiu Yi-chin
The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) new Yunlin patrol vessel would enhance maritime patrol capabilities in the south, President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday told a commissioning ceremony in Kaohsiung for the 4,000-tonne vessel. The Yunlin, one of four Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels ordered from shipbuilder CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船), would join the coast guard’s Southern Sector Flotilla based in Kaohsiung, bolstering the unit’s ability to conduct patrols along with searches and rescues, Lai said. The ship is equipped with three high-pressure water cannons with a range of 120m for dispersal tasks, the Ocean Affairs Council said. In his speech, Lai said that the government’s
FREEDOM SEEKER? While the intruder, identified as an ex-Chinese navy captain, looked different from previous ‘defectors,’ it could be China testing Taiwan’s limits, an official said Taiwan has stepped up national security measures, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, after a former Chinese navy captain was arrested for illegally entering the nation on a motorboat. “National security cannot be neglected for a minute,” he said, adding that security units had been instructed to “immediately strengthen protective measures.” Coast guard personnel arrested the man, surnamed Ruan (阮), on Sunday after his boat collided with other vessels at a ferry terminal on the Tamsui River (淡水河) in the north. Before that, he reportedly sailed the vessel into a harbor near the mouth of the river. Ruan is a retired member of
‘SAFER TAIWAN’: The president told ‘Time’ magazine that the new government under his administration ‘is willing to assist China and advance peace and prosperity’ A prosperous Taiwan can bring about progress in China, and Taipei seeks peace and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait, President William Lai (賴清德) told Time magazine in an exclusive interview published yesterday, his first since becoming president. Taiwan wishes for a stable and prosperous China, as it would help maintain peace and stability in the region, he said. “I have always believed that a stable China leads to a safer Taiwan. A prosperous Taiwan can also bring about progress in China,” he was quoted as saying, while asked if China’s problematic economy could be an opportunity for further engagement across strait.
HU GE NEWS: The actor visited Taipei and was on the same flight as an official Shanghai delegation, leading to accusations Taipei City was doing ‘united front’ work Taiwan is open to healthy interactions with China, but Beijing should not engage in “united front” campaigns, a Cabinet official said yesterday following a report that China is paying influencers to produce content it approves of. YouTuber Potter King (波特王) said that the Chinese government has been paying Taiwanese content creators to travel to China and produce videos favorable to Beijing. Cabinet spokesman Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said that the government welcomes healthy and sustainable interactions between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, but China should not use “united front” tactics in the culture and entertainment sphere to target young Taiwanese. Potter King