Taiwanese entertainers in China would have their Taiwanese citizenship revoked if they are holding Chinese citizenship, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said.
Several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑) and Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜), earlier this month on their Weibo (微博) accounts shared a picture saying that Taiwan would be “returned” to China, with tags such as “Taiwan, Province of China” or “Adhere to the ‘one China’ principle.”
The MAC would investigate whether those Taiwanese entertainers have Chinese IDs and added that it would revoke their Taiwanese citizenship if they did, Chiu told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) on Wednesday last week.
Photo: AP
They should relinquish their Taiwanese nationality if they choose to ingratiate themselves with China, he said, adding that the MAC would not allow them to aid Beijing’s “united front” tactics using their Taiwanese citizenship.
The government must take countermeasures, as Beijing is using Taiwanese entertainers in its cognitive warfare to achieve its goal of “reuniting” Taiwan with China, Chiu said.
Taiwanese entertainers were being used, because the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例) does not stipulate many restrictions for them, he said, adding that the MAC condemned them for agreeing to wipe out Taiwan.
Beijing’s cognitive tactics have a pattern: Taiwanese entertainers would repost pro-China statements, and then Chinese state media hype would follow, Chiu said, citing as an example the more than 20 Taiwanese entertainers who reposted “Taiwan, Province of China” shortly after Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) called Taiwan a province of China.
Such conduct by Taiwanese entertainers in China appears to be escalating, from celebrating China’s national day or singing its praises, to endorsing Beijing’s “Joint Sword-2024B” military drills in the Taiwan Strait last year, Chiu said.
Now, they are supporting the taking of Taiwan by force, he said.
“You can love it and be proud of it [China], which would be none of our business, but you cannot agree to wipe out your own country,” Chiu said.
The Ministry of Culture would investigate whether those Taiwanese entertainers have been collaborating with China, he said, adding that political collaboration would contravene Article 33-1 of the act.
Entertainers involved in such activities would have to explain to the government why they are collaborating with China, in person or through their agents, Chiu said.
The Ministry of the Interior would examine entertainers’ exit and entry records to find out whether they have Chinese citizenship, he said, adding that their nationality would be changed from Taiwan to China if they are confirmed to have dual citizenship.
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