Taiwan artists' move reveals their support for reunification, official says

Taiwan artists forwarding a poster on social media expressing their support for the reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait reflects their genuine Chinese identity recognition, a Chinese mainland spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Many Taiwan artists said that "Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait all belong to the Chinese nation" after the new "leader" of the Taiwan region, Lai Ching-te, blatantly advocated "Taiwan independence" in his "inaugural address" this month.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a conference in Beijing that in recent days, nearly a hundred Taiwan artists have expressed their views on cross-Strait relations and their identity as Chinese descendants through various means.

Some have reposted the reunification poster first released by the mainland media, which has garnered over 1.8 billion views on Weibo and been reposted over 17 million times, Zhu said.

"Some artists have shared stories of their elders about their mainland ancestral origins and names, while others have expressed a desire for increased exchanges as both sides are all Chinese nation," she said, adding that "these expressions are genuine and heartfelt."

Zhu condemned Lai and the Democratic Progressive Party for exploiting the situation for political gain, exacerbating cross-Strait tensions, and unfairly labeling the artists as making "forced statements".

It demonstrated the fear of the DPP authorities for closer ties between people on both sides, and they disregarded and even suppressed mainstream desires for peace, development, exchange, and cooperation, she said.

It also suggested that the DPP government is intensifying efforts to stifle the voices of Taiwan resident, she added.

Zhu said the mainland actively supports Taiwan artists participating in various cultural events, and welcomes people from Taiwan to enjoy performances on the mainland.