Taiwan probing entertainers allegedly spreading Chinese propaganda

Taipei, May 15 (CNA) A senior Taiwanese cross-strait affairs official said Thursday that his agency has identified more than 20 entertainers who could be guilty of spreading Chinese propaganda and might face punishment.

At a meeting of the Legislature's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee to discuss "China's hybrid threats to Taiwan's national security," lawmakers from across party lines asked Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung (沈有忠) about the progress of an investigation into Taiwanese entertainers allegedly spreading Chinese propaganda and aiding China's psychological and cognitive warfare on Taiwan.

MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said Wednesday during an interview that the ministry will launch a probe into Taiwanese entertainers who spread propaganda in coordination with the Chinese Communist Party, including sharing posts praising China's military exercises around Taiwan, and take any necessary action against them.

As a baseline to determine when entertainers should face punishment for their actions, Shen said the MAC will draw two "red lines":The first is speech or online posts that explicitly advocate for the elimination of Taiwan's sovereignty-- such as calls for the military takeover of Taiwan.

Secondly, words meant to undermine Taiwan's democratic and Constitutional institutions, Shen said.

For example, if an entertainer were to post "Happy birthday to my motherland!" on China's National Day, "it might hit a raw nerve, but it would not cross the red lines," Shen explained.

While the MAC respects some entertainers' choice to pursue a career in China, it cannot tolerate actions intended to impact public opinion and morale in Taiwan, for example, by "sharing certain content at a certain time agreed with a certain party."

The MAC will soon meet with the Ministry of Culture (MOC) to discuss how to deal with such actions, Shen said.

For example, he said, Article 33-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between People of the Taiwan Area and the China Area could be invoked, in which case offenders would face a fine of NT$10,000 (US$331.27) to NT$500,000.

Asked if the names of the 20 plus entertainers will be made public, Shen said a list could be made available after the investigation by the MOC and MAC is completed, but before then lawmakers can request to see it in private.

The issue was brought to the fore when netizens learned that entertainer Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) was recently hired by the Chinese city of Ji'an as a "cultural tourism ambassador."

Ouyang last year sparked controversy after she shared on Sina Weibo microblogging website an image depicting China's Joint Sword 2024-B military exercises around Taiwan along with the hashtags "Taiwan has been Chinese territory since ancient times" and "There is only one China."