A claim by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) vice presidential candidate Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) that pop superstar Taylor Swift turned down an offer to perform in Taiwan due to “geopolitical risks” did not reflect reality, the Ministry of Culture said on Monday.
During a televised debate between Taiwan’s vice presidential candidates on Monday, Jaw used the claim to criticize the Democratic Progressive Party’s cross-strait policy and argue that it was increasing tensions in the region.
He said that in his capacity as chairman of the Broadcasting Corp of China (中廣), he extended an offer to Swift to hold a concert at the Taipei Dome after the stadium opened in November last year.
Photo: AP
Jaw said the singer initially agreed, but later declined, citing geopolitical risks.
The claim has not been independently confirmed or debunked, and the ministry did not weigh in on the specifics of the claim in a statement issued later on Monday after the debate.
Instead, it disputed Jaw’s statement based on the many major performers that have held concerts in Kaohsiung since COVID-19 pandemic restrictions ended and the acts planning to come to Taiwan this year.
“These all serve as the best proof to show that what the KMT vice presidential candidate said was not true,” the statement said, without providing any other comment on the Swift claim.
Among the acts that have performed in Taiwan in the past year are British band Coldplay, K-pop group Blackpink and the Backstreet Boys, the ministry said.
In addition, K-pop group Super Junior and British singer Ed Sheeran have announced the dates for their tours this year, which included concerts in Kaohsiung, it said.
In addition to pop artists, many well-known orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic have also performed in Kaohsiung, it added.
The ministry said that it hoped candidates nominated by the KMT would support efforts to organize concerts featuring international artists.
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington’s security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.” Seoul’s military detected “around 10 ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea [Sea of Japan] at around 1:20pm,” JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea’s name for the body of water. The missiles
RSS