The government did not know that Hong Kong actor and singer Andy Lau (劉德華) was a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference when they reviewed his entry application, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that Chinese nationals would only be asked to leave if they make remarks belittling Taiwan’s status as sovereign nation.
The 63-year-old Hong Kong singer held a concert in Taipei on Saturday for the first time in 11 years.
His performance, which was covered extensively by Chinese-language media, sparked controversy as one of the songs he sang was titled “Chinese People” (中國人).
Photo: Tu Chien-jung , Taipei Times
Some believe that Lau’s concert was part of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “united front” efforts, as he is the vice chairman of the China Film Association.
Lau’s concert was not worth attending, as he is a toady of the CCP, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said.
In a meeting at the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee yesterday, council Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) was questioned by lawmakers about why the agency granted Lau permission to hold a concert in Taipei on the grounds that he did not “make any damaging remarks about Taiwan.”
“Basically, he should not make any remarks or engage in actions that would disparage Taiwan’s status as a country,” Liang said, citing as an example the two Chinese tourists who had forcefully taken the flags of Hong Kongers protesting in Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) area last month.
“Lau would have been asked to leave the country immediately if he was reported to have done forbidden behaviors,” he added.
The council could give special considerations for certain Chinese officials who file applications to visit Taiwan, he said.
It also did not know that Lau serves as a member of the Chinese Political Consultative Conference, which is not a key organization in the CCP regime, Liang added.
“We will not use membership in the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference as a criterion to reject entry permit applications filed by Chinese nationals. Many Chinese officials would not come if we were to draw the line that way,” he said.
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