In a spirited exchange this week, the Chinese mainland issued a stark warning to DPP authorities in the Taiwan region over criticisms of the recently concluded Cross-Strait Chinese Culture Summit. Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, declared, "those who forget their heritage will come to no good end."
Held under the theme "inheritance, promotion, and development," the summit brought together over 800 participants from cultural and academic circles on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Organisers hailed it as a landmark platform for cultural dialogue, where attendees reconnected with shared ancestral roots, language, and traditions.
However, tensions flared when the Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council dismissed the event as a politically charged "united front" initiative. DPP authorities reportedly threatened to investigate business leaders from the island of Taiwan who took part and openly embraced a Chinese cultural identity.
In response, Zhu emphasised unity: "We are one family with blood ties and a shared destiny." She defended participants' expressions of cultural identity as "their right and freedom" and a reflection of the mainstream public will in the Taiwan region for peace, development, dialogue, and cooperation.
Zhu further criticised the DPP authorities for prioritising separatist politics over shared heritage, accusing them of "hyping up so-called united front threats, stirring anti-mainland sentiment, and intimidating those who support peaceful cross-strait relations," a tactic she said revealed "authoritarianism under the guise of democracy."
This back-and-forth underscores how cultural and political narratives intertwine across the Taiwan Strait, offering a real-world glimpse at heritage, identity, and diplomacy in action.
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China's mainland warns DPP: Those who forget heritage will pay a price
cgtn.com
