Internet celebrity Holger Chen (陳之漢) yesterday concluded a six-day, five-night visit to Shanghai, responding to extensive media coverage in Taiwan by saying that he had paid for the trip with his own money.
Chen said he "never degraded Taiwan, never said Taiwan was not good," despite accusations that he belittled his country of birth by praising China.
Some of his critics focused on financial gain because they "didn't know what to say," the celebrity gym owner said.
Photo: CNA
He did not engage in business discussions on the trip, Chen said, adding that he does hope for commercial opportunities in China.
Chen arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday last week, saying that he aimed to act as an "ambassador of peace" and encourage more cross-strait exchanges during his first trip to the country.
He also pledged to livestream the entire trip to his large following in Taiwan — a move that Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said could not have been done without permission from the Chinese authorities.
However, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) said on Wednesday that Chen traveled to Shanghai on his own.
Taiwanese, including Internet celebrities such as Chen, were welcome to experience China's food, convenient transportation and quality goods, she said.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Taiwan watched Chen's livestreams as he traveled around China and interacted with locals.
At one point, Chen did not directly respond when asked "What country are you from?" — a potentially awkward question for Taiwanese to answer in China, as Beijing claims the nation as part of its territory.
Taiwanese media also criticized Chen for praising China, including the "good infrastructure and trendy elements" of Shanghai Pudong International Airport — comments he said were "taken out of context.”
Other comments Chen made perplexed many viewers, such as his statement that a milk tea in Taiwan can cost as much as NT$800.
Chen said that he has previously harbored strong animosity toward China and never expected to visit, but recent online information differed from his past perceptions, prompting him to self-fund the trip to "show the truth to everyone."
Chen is no stranger to politics. He has previously voiced support for the Democratic Progressive Party and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) under former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).
Upon arrival at Shanghai Airport on June 10, Chen said he aimed to expose the "lies" spread by the DPP, which was using "fear of China" as an election strategy.
Despite praising China while visiting the country, Chen said he has always believed Taiwan is "number one."
"I'm Taiwanese, how could I belittle Taiwan?" he asked.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
RSS