Chinese Regime Pushes Cultural Exchange with Taiwan

The Chinese regime's Minister of Culture wants to sign a cultural agreement with Taiwan, similar to the historic trade agreement signed in June. Taiwan officials received his proposal with caution. Some analysts say the real motivation for the Chinese regime's push for cultural exchange is to increase its political power over Taiwan.

The Chinese regime's Minster of Culture Cai Wu visited Taiwan this month for an 8-day visit, hot on the heels of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement. He proposed a similar agreement, geared at fostering cultural exchange between the Chinese regime and Taiwan.

Cai's Taiwan counterpart Emile Sheng reacted coolly to the idea. The Council for Cultural Affairs Minister said there was no timetable for such an agreement, and that it's only a long-term aim.

Cai is the highest level communist official to have visited Taiwan in 12 years. Political commentator Yang Hsien-hong says his trip has more than cultural ramifications.

[Yang Hsien-hong, Political Commentator]:
"The Chinese Communist Party is using culture to cover its political intent. Such exchanges are not cultural at all, it's political exchange."

Chinese author Yuan Hongbing, who wrote the book "Taiwan Disaster" last year, says it's the Chinese regime's goal to eventually take over Taiwan. The two have been ruled separately since a civil war in 1949, but the Chinese regime still considers Taiwan its territory and aims at unification.

[Yuan Hongbing, Author]:
"The CCP's Cultural Department is in fact a political arm of the regime. It controls people's thoughts through culture, and is directed entirely by the CCP's politics. This visit by the Minister of Culture is just the execution of their tactic of unifying the culture. To complete the unification of Taiwan's culture [with the CCP] by 2012, this was the political aim of the Minister's visit."

In August, Cai Wu told the Chinese regime's Central Party School—the main institute for training communist party members—that China lacks (quote) "cultural soft power." This includes influencing people's values and creating interest for a political position.

Rhetoric like this is causing some people in Taiwan to question the validity of cross-strait cultural exchange.

[Lin Wen-cheng, Head of NSYSU College of Social Sciences]:
"Taiwan's culture is free, and will not be restrained by the government. The so called cultural exchange in mainland China is controlled by the government, which seeks to manipulate culture for political application. This means the starting points of the cultural exchange are different, I think this is the biggest discrepancy."

The Chinese regime has been trying to increase its cultural influence for some time. This includes embarking on a multi-billion dollar plan to expand its state-controlled media worldwide.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Chinese
• Regime
• Pushes
• Cultural
• Exchange
• with
• Taiwan
• agreement
• trade
• history
• officials
• proposal
• caution
• motivation
• politics
• power
• increase
• validity
• position

[DoubleB902]

This is all about fear!Cultural exchange is aBOUT EDUCATION!Friendship!Not about political power.The political power in Taiwan will stay in Taiwan,The poliyical power of China will stay in China.