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.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS