New | Taiwan’s teen pop star Chou Tzu-yu: how a wave of a flag caused a great flap in China
Storm over teenage singer’s use of Taiwanese flag stems from Beijing’s hardline stance and mainland public’s lack of understanding of 1992 consensus: experts
The recent incident of Chou Tzu-yu, the Taiwanese teen pop star who had to apologise for waving the island’s flag on a TV show, reflects the mainland public’s lack of understanding of the meaning behind the 1992 consensus, according to cross-strait experts.
Analysts say the misunderstanding stems from differing official discourses of the consensus between the mainland and Taiwan, as well as Beijing’s refusal to treat the island as an equal political entity and grant it international space.
Chou, 16, issued a video apology last week for waving a flag of the Republic of China – Taiwan’s official name – on a TV show. Her apology came on the eve of the island’s presidential election, after mainland internet users slammed her for supporting Taiwan independence.
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Chou’s apology sparked a backlash in Taiwan as the angry Taiwanese public said the 1992 consensus was “a mere outline” and that the mainland had never recognised the existence of the self-ruled island.
The consensus is a tacit understanding between the mainland’s Communist Party and Taiwan’s Kuomintang that both sides will recognise only one China, but that each side has its own interpretation of what it stands for.
Yang Lixian, a researcher at Beijing’s National Society of Taiwan Studies, said the incident would not have occurred if the mainland authorities in charge of Taiwan affairs had had a solid understanding of cross-strait policies and properly educated the public on the issues.
