At the December 31 press conference of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, a reporter asked for comment on remarks recently made by Cheng Li-wen, chairperson of the Kuomintang. While speaking with university students in Taiwan, she said that in Taiwan today, saying “I am Chinese” means having to bear an inexplicable “original sin,” which she described as the result of 30 years of malicious manipulation by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). She added that identifying as Chinese is a natural cultural and historical identity and should not be demonized by the DPP. What is your response?
In reply, Zhang Han, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China. People on both sides are members of the Chinese nation and are all Chinese. This is a historical fact, a cultural understanding, a matter of shared heritage, and a legal reality—one that no one can deny.
He said that driven by their pursuit of “independence,” the DPP authorities have deliberately manipulated “de-Sinicization,” attempting to sever historical and cultural links across the Strait. In doing so, they seek to mislead the people of Taiwan, causing confusion over historical memory and distortion of national identity among Taiwan’s younger generation, with far-reaching harmful consequences. Voices of protest and criticism against this have continued to emerge from all sectors of Taiwanese society.
He added that the DPP authorities’ political manipulation is doomed to be futile and will not succeed.