The Chinese student exchange organized by the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation is using “united front” tactics to manipulate Taiwan’s public opinion, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators said following an exchange student’s comments.
Invited by the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation to visit universities and famous sites, and “to promote cross-strait peace,” the group arrived in Taiwan on Saturday for their nine-day exchange program.
The group has visited the Chinese Culture University’s Yangmingshan campus in Taipei, other universities and the National Palace Museum.
Photo: CNA
“Peoples on both sides of the Strait indeed originate from the same root, and are of the same race,” a Chinese exchange student named Chen Kaidi (陳凱迪) said, after a music concert on Tuesday.
Another Chinese student named Sun Lin (孫琳) said “both sides of the Strait are of the same race, same civilization, and the same bloodline.”
DPP Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) yesterday said the visiting Chinese students repeat Beijing’s claim that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are of “the same root, and same race,” which is “purely political rhetoric.”
“It is clear their aim is to conduct China’s ‘united front’ propaganda campaign to manipulate Taiwan media and public opinion,” Lai said.
“So, instead of visiting places, the students deliberately made remarks which would be controversial in Taiwan. It is likely they were told to voice these viewpoints, with instruction from their political masters,” he said.
“We very much welcome Chinese students coming to Taiwan, for tourism and educational exchanges,” DPP Legislator Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) said. “However, when in Taiwan, they still express view that denigrate Taiwan, which is not proper. It is clear they were given the mandate to carry out political propaganda on this trip.”
“We want to inform on Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, that as hosts, they must remind the Chinese students not to engage in ‘united front’ propaganda to push their political ideology in Taiwan,” Hsu said, adding that prior to the group’s visit to several places, the Republic of China flags were taken down.
“If we see more incidents like these, then instead of promoting friendship, they would only raise the ire against China in our society,” Hsu said.
Scientific studies have confirmed that Taiwan’s population is of multicultural origin including the numerous indigenous peoples of Austronesian-Pacific Islands, and majority of them are descendants of Pingpu, who also belonged to the Austronesian family, said Lee Hsiao-feng (李筱峰) a professor of Taiwanese history at National Taipei University of Education.
“Before the incursion by the Dutch, Spanish and Han Chinese in the 15th century, Taiwan already had native populations of Indigenous Austronesian peoples, living on this island for tens of thousands of years,” Lee said.
“These included the so-called indigenous peoples inhabiting the high mountains, and the Pingpu peoples in the lowlands, as all of whom are Austronesians,” he said.
“Many scientists in their researches consider Taiwan as the original homeland of Austronesians,” Lee said.
“All Taiwan’s indigenous groups are Austronesians and are not Han Chinese. Also, we are not an ‘ethnic minority’ of China,” Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Icyang Parod said.
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