Taipei [Taiwan], June 2 : Taiwan's China Times, one of its three largest newspapers, called on the government to "adhere to the Constitution" after it suggested investigating the newspaper for allegedly promoting Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda, as reported by Focus Taiwan.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has charged the Want Want China Times Media Group, the owner of the China Times, with participating in a united front campaign led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the recent Cross-Strait Chinese Culture Summit in Beijing, according to Focus Taiwan.
The MAC, which oversees Taiwan's policies towards the mainland, stated that the comments made by executives from the Want Want Group at the summit reflected Beijing's political narrative and were detrimental to Taiwan's national sovereignty and interests, as detailed by Focus Taiwan.
The government will assess the statements to determine if they breached the law against unauthorized cooperation with China's political, military, or administrative entities, the MAC announced, referencing Article 33-1 of the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, as noted by the Focus Taiwan report.
The dispute originated from remarks made by Want Want Group General Manager Tsai Wang-ting at the culture summit in Beijing on May 28, where he labeled China as the "motherland," referred to Taiwan as "China Taiwan," and emphasized the shared cultural and historical heritage of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Tsai stated, "We are Chinese," expressing gratitude for various forms of support from the "motherland" and the advantages of its market development, as reported by Focus Taiwan.
The MAC fiercely criticised his comments, asserting that they undermined Taiwan's sovereignty. The MAC emphasised that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign and independent state and has never been a part of the People's Republic of China, as highlighted by the Focus Taiwan report.
President Lai Ching-te's administration has adopted a more proactive approach to overseeing cross-strait interactions, especially in addressing cognitive warfare, believing that failing to respond to such statements could convey an incorrect message, Tzeng noted. Tzeng added that Taiwanese businesses operating in China might need to exercise greater caution when voicing political opinions in the future, as issues relating to cross-strait relations are growing increasingly sensitive, as highlighted by the Focus Taiwan report.
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