The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday condemned Want Want China Times Media Group (旺旺中時媒體集團) for making comments at the Cross-Strait Chinese Culture Summit that it said have damaged Taiwan’s sovereignty, adding that it would investigate if the group had colluded with China in the matter and contravened cross-strait regulations.
The council issued a statement after Want Want Holdings (旺旺集團有限公司) general manager Tsai Wang-ting (蔡旺庭), the third son of the group’s founder, Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明), said at the summit last week that the group originated in “Chinese Taiwan,” and has developed and prospered in “the motherland.”
“We, as Chinese, should never forget our roots, history, culture, and that we come from the same veins and are charged with the same mission,” Tsai Wang-ting said.
Photo: Taipei Times
“We are grateful for various support available in the motherland and would always remember our responsibility and mission as Chinese, which is to pass down Chinese culture to the next generation,” he said.
The council yesterday said the media group assisted the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in hosting the summit to protect its business in China.
“The group further echoed the CCP’s agenda in the summit, which severely damaged our national interests and sovereignty,” the council said.
It has been CCP’s tactic to use cross-strait exchange events as a cover for its intention to carry out its “united front” campaign against Taiwan, the council added.
“Prior to the summit, we had reminded the public that the event would use media and cultural exchange as a pretext, but in reality it is meant to bring Taiwanese working in the media and cultural industry to Beijing, and lecture them about things they should and should not do. This is not a purely cultural and exchange event, and participation is not encouraged,” the council said.
However, the media group persisted in its pursuit of self-interest in China, disregarding reactions from Taiwan and making statements that harmed national sovereignty, it said.
“It has willingly become a pawn in China’s united front strategies against Taiwan. We severely condemn such a move,” it said, adding it would examine if the media group had colluded with the Chinese government and military, and contravened the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例).
Following the council’s statement, the China Times in an online statement said: “According to the Constitution and the Act Governing Relations Between People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, Taiwan and the Mainland both belong to one China. Taiwanese people are Chinese people, children of Zhonghua (中華). This has always been our position. We urge everyone to uphold and defend the Constitution and work together for cross-strait peace and Taiwan’s future.”
Prior to the summit, Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧) met in Beijing with Tsai Eng-meng and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), among others.
In the meeting, Wang said there was a need to “jointly uphold the one China principle and the 1992 consensus, firmly oppose Taiwan independence and separatist activities, and remain unwavering in advancing the great cause of national reunification.”
The “1992 consensus” — a term that former MAC chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the CCP that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
AGING: As of last month, people aged 65 or older accounted for 20.06 percent of the total population and the number of couples who got married fell by 18,685 from 2024 Taiwan has surpassed South Korea as the country least willing to have children, with an annual crude birthrate of 4.62 per 1,000 people, Ministry of the Interior data showed yesterday. The nation was previously ranked the second-lowest country in terms of total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime. However, South Korea’s fertility rate began to recover from 2023, with total fertility rate rising from 0.72 and estimated to reach 0.82 to 0.85 by last year, and the crude birthrate projected at 6.7 per 1,000 people. Japan’s crude birthrate was projected to fall below six,
RSS