Culture minister says Taiwan's existence is a 'mirror' that reveals China

Paris, Sept. 12 (CNA) Taiwan's Minister of Culture Li Yuan (李遠) said in a radio interview in France that Taiwan's existence and culture were painful for China, describing Taiwan as "a mirror that reveals the true nature of things."

Speaking to Radio France Internationale (RFI) on Friday, Li said China had been unable to achieve what Taiwan has demonstrated and therefore strongly wished Taiwan did not exist.

Responding to China's frequent emphasis on the grandeur and long history of Chinese culture, Li said he found such rhetoric difficult to understand, arguing that genuine culture is reflected in people's everyday lives and does not need to be deliberately defined or promoted.

"A truly strong culture does not need to boast about itself, nor does it need to fear how others perceive or treat it," Li said in Chinese.

Li began a European tour last Sunday, with the first stop in Britain, where he visited cultural institutions and witnessed the forging of a partnership between Taiwan's National Museum of Taiwan Literature and the United Kingdom's National Centre for Writing.

He left Britain on Thursday for France, where he attended events related to the Taiwan-France Cultural Award, including the judging of the award and the presentation ceremony. He is scheduled to return to Taiwan next Wednesday.

During the European visit, Li also met with cultural and literary figures and discussed further cooperation in areas including literature, comics and digital arts.

In France, he visited a planned cultural facility in Saint-Denis and discussed potential cooperation with Taiwan in digital art, including joint exhibitions, co-productions and artist development.