Taipei:Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) criticized Beijing on Thursday after a Chinese military-affiliated social media account appeared to threaten television host Kevin Tsai for attending a campaign event for Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen.
According to Focus Taiwan, the social media account, linked to China's People's Liberation Army, criticized a "Taiwanese public figure" for participating in Shen's campaign event, although it did not directly name Tsai. The account emphasized that there is "no room for ambiguity" on the issue of "Taiwan independence" and branded pro-independence forces as "mortal enemies of the Chinese people."
MAC Deputy Head and Spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh addressed the issue at a news briefing in Taipei, highlighting the stark contrast between Taiwan's political environment and that of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He noted that while supporting a candidate in Taiwan is straightforward and low-risk, the CCP sees it differently, using threats to influence political support.
Liang further commented on the differences in electoral systems, stating that under Hong Kong's candidate vetting system, Puma Shen would not be eligible to run for office. This system was introduced in 2021 under the "patriots governing Hong Kong" principle, which restricts candidacy to those loyal to Beijing.
The incident arose after Tsai, who has hosted television shows in China, attended the opening of Shen's campaign headquarters. Following his attendance, some Chinese companies began distancing themselves from him. Tsai explained that his attendance was to hear diverse perspectives, and his manager mentioned that he was considering interviewing both Shen and the current Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, who is campaigning for reelection under the Kuomintang party.
In a related development, Mayor Chiang defended Tsai's right to attend political events, inviting him to his campaign headquarters' opening, which Tsai expressed willingness to attend upon receiving the details. Shen has been on Beijing's list of "diehard Taiwan independence separatists" since October 2024, and Chinese authorities have been investigating him since October 2025 for allegedly supporting Taiwanese secession.
China maintains that Taiwan is part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to achieve unification.