China's Mainland Issues Warning to DPP: Forgetting Heritage Will Cost You
Mainland warns Taiwan DPP: Forget your heritage at your peril amid cross-strait cultural summit tensions
A spokesperson from the mainland issued a strong warning on Wednesday directed at the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in Taiwan, asserting that “those who forget their heritage will come to no good end.” The remarks come amid continued tensions following the conclusion of the second Cross-Strait Chinese Culture Summit, which the DPP had sharply criticized.
Zhu Fenglian, serving as spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, condemned Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council for its harsh characterization of the summit as a politically motivated “united front” campaign. The DPP has also reportedly threatened to investigate Taiwanese business figures who attended the forum and openly identified with Chinese cultural traditions, raising concerns about freedom of expression on the island.
Zhu emphasized that people across both sides of the Taiwan Strait “share the same ancestral roots, language, and cultural heritage.” She highlighted the importance of the summit as a platform for boosting cultural exchange and fostering cross-Strait cooperation. “We are one family with blood ties and a shared destiny,” Zhu stated. The event, centered around the theme of “inheritance, promotion, and development,” attracted more than 800 participants from cultural and academic communities on both sides of the Strait.
Many attendees from Taiwan, Zhu noted, reaffirmed a sense of shared identity and expressed a commitment to preserving traditional Chinese culture. “This is their right and freedom,” she remarked, adding that these expressions reflect a broad desire among people in Taiwan for peace, development, dialogue, and cooperation.
The spokesperson went on to criticize the DPP for placing political objectives above the common cultural legacy and aspirations of ordinary citizens. According to Zhu, by labeling cultural exchange initiatives as political threats and intimidating those who promote peaceful cross-Strait relations, the DPP demonstrates what she described as “authoritarianism under the guise of democracy.”
With cross-Strait relations facing mounting uncertainty, the latest warning from Beijing underscores the ongoing tug-of-war over identity and heritage, as well as the complex political dynamics shaping the future of the region.
