TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture said that China has been pressuring artists to take a political stance after Taiwanese celebrities reposted Chinese propaganda that Taiwan will “return” to China.
Following President Lai Ching-te (賴清德)’s inaugural address on May 20, Chinese state-run media CCTV on its Weibo account said, “Taiwan has never been a country and will never become one … China will eventually achieve complete unification.”
As of May 24, at least 45 Taiwanese celebrities reposted the pro-unification statement, including Nana Ouyang (歐陽娜娜), Patty Hou (佩侯岑), Rainie Yang (楊丞琳), Janine Chang (張鈞甯), Darren Chen (官鴻), Angela Chang (張韶涵), Jiro Wang (汪東城), Kenji Wu (吳克群), and Riley Wang (王以綸).
The Ministry of Culture said on Saturday (May 25) that artists have expressed political stances under “unavoidable circumstances,” per CNA. It emphasized, “This kind of thing would not happen in Taiwan.”
The Ministry of Culture said that as a free, democratic society, Taiwan would never ask anyone to choose a side politically. It also would not allow anyone to be politically threatened for expressing or not expressing their opinion.
This is the most valuable thing about Taiwan, the ministry added. It said it hopes Taiwanese artists can continue to express themselves without restrictions, and it will work to create a larger market and a better film and television environment.
In addition, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said on Saturday (May 25) that China should stop forcing artists to express their stance or loyalty. He condemned Beijing and called on China to give entertainers greater freedom of expression.
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) also issued a statement on Saturday that condemned any actions that restrict the development of music and culture. It urged Beijing to respect artists and stop forcing them into making public statements.
