China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) yesterday claimed that more than 3,000 young Taiwanese would attend a series of cross-strait events over three months.
The Mainland Affairs Council has criticized the event, saying that cross-strait exchanges should be held under the principles of “equality and mutual respect,” and should “promote mutual understanding between people on both sides of the Strait, and create an atmosphere of goodwill for cross-strait interaction.”
Beijing has increasingly used events aimed at young Taiwanese to promote the Chinese narrative on Taiwanese identity and undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, it said.
Photo: CNA
China’s annual cross-strait youth summit, which was canceled in 2021 and last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, would resume this year, with the opening ceremony to be held on July 12 and 13. The summit involves a series of summer camp-like activities that promote the unification of Taiwan and China.
TAO spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) told a news conference in Beijing yesterday that the summit’s opening ceremony would include forums on science, education, sports and entrepreneurship.
More than 220 representatives from 16 Taiwanese youth organizations are expected to attend the ceremony, she said.
From next month to October, 25 activities would be held over five stages under the summit, she added.
The first stage, focusing on cross-strait youth culture, would be held in Suzhou by the TAO and the Jiangsu provincial government, Zhu said, adding that more than 600 representatives from Taiwanese youth organizations are expected to participate.
The Mei Lanfang Art and Culture Week — which commemorates the eponymous Peking opera star — as well as an embroidery festival and a cross-strait film festival would be held concurrently, and are expected to draw young Taiwanese participants, she said.
An event in August would celebrate the common ancestry of Chinese people on both sides of the Strait, Zhu said, adding that over the course of three months, summit events would be held in provinces and territories throughout China.
“We will actively provide an increasing number of opportunities and platforms for our young friends from Taiwan, so that they can achieve great things in China,” she said.
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