Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te delivered his inaugural speech on May 20th, emphasizing the defense of Taiwan’s sovereignty, which irked the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Following a statement from China’s CCTV opposing Taiwan independence, many Taiwanese artists followed suit. Malaysian singer Namewee expressed his lamentation in a post where he reflected on the ease with which people abandon their principles when consumed by anxiety over gain and loss.
In his speech, President Lai Ching-te outlined his vision to build a new Taiwan characterized by democracy, peace, and prosperity. He stressed that the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other. The new government’s cross-strait policy is based on four adherences: no inferiority, no arrogance, maintaining the status quo, calling on the CCP to recognize the existence of the Republic of China and respect the choice of the Taiwanese people, promoting cooperation through exchanges rather than isolations. Furthermore, he proposed initiatives such as restarting bilateral equal-status tourism and welcoming students from mainland China to study in Taiwan.
However, Chinese citizens are unable to access this information due to the CCP’s strict censorship. Despite the online blockade of relevant information by the Chinese authorities, the CCP reacted strongly to President Lai Ching-te’s statements on cross-strait relations.
According to Weibo, China’s state media CCTV News posted an article on May 22nd opposing Taiwan independence. Numerous mainland Chinese celebrities reposted related statements, and Taiwanese artists, including Hou Pei-cen, Ouyang Nana and her sisters, Angela Chang, Rainie Yang, Ivy Chen, Yoga Lin, Xiu Jitian, Wang Dongcheng, also reposted articles affirming messages like “China will eventually achieve complete reunification” and “Taiwan will return to the embrace of the motherland.”
Witnessing this phenomenon, Namewee shared his thoughts in a post saying, “When you have more, you fear losing more. When you are consumed by anxiety over gain and loss, someone asking you to eat feces or betray your own beliefs, friends, family, that becomes an easy thing to do…”
Namewee emphasized that in the entertainment industry, he only admires a few individuals who strictly separate art from politics, highlighting that the phrase “art belongs to art, and politics belongs to politics” itself is a form of political interference in art.