By Chen Yu-fu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA
Taiwanese television host Kevin Tsai （蔡康永） has faced a backlash in China after he on Sunday attended the opening of Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen’s （沈伯洋） campaign headquarters.
Shen has been called a “staunch Taiwanese independence separatist” by the Chinese Communist Party, which has threatened to hold him accountable under its anti-secessionist laws.
A livestream showed Tsai, who previously hosted the popular variety show Kangsi Coming （康熙來了）, holding a campaign balloon bearing the slogan “Let Taipei Get Back on Track” and waving a cheering stick alongside supporters, drawing widespread attention online.
Asked about his attendance, Tsai reportedly said he had come to “see what it was like” and hear different perspectives, adding that he might attend events for other candidates and would like to interview them all.
His manager said Tsai’s attendance was preliminary research for possible interviews with both candidates.
Tsai’s appearance at Shen’s event became a trending topic on Chinese social media, with posts labeling Tsai a “separatist.”
Chinese electric vehicle maker Leapmotor, which last month announced Tsai as a brand “partner,” removed promotional content related to the entertainer by Sunday evening and issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to Beijing’s “one China” principle, while fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar China deleted an interview with Tsai published last month.
Shen yesterday called the backlash unfair, saying that Tsai had simply come to the event to learn about the candidates’ policy platform.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an （蔣萬安） of the Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT）, who is seeking re-election, urged China to respect Taiwan’s free and democratic way of life and not discriminate against people because of their political views.
“I support and respect Tsai’s right to express any views of his own,” Chiang told reporters.
KMT caucus secretary-general Hsu Yu-chen （許宇甄） said the caucus opposed efforts by Chinese Internet users and businesses to blacklist Tsai, adding that Beijing should respect freedom of speech and democracy.
Taiwan is a democratic and pluralistic society in which everyone has the right to learn about candidates’ policies and ideas, Hsu said.
Hung Pu-chao （洪浦釗）, deputy executive director of Tunghai University’s Center for Mainland China and Regional Development Research, said the incident illustrated how Beijing uses its market power to influence the politics of Taiwanese entertainers.
As China has already branded Shen a “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatist,” publicly attending his campaign event could carry commercial consequences for entertainers in the Chinese market, Hung said.
Political labeling, online pressure and corporate action are used to enforce Beijing’s political red lines, he said.
Businesses know where the political lines are and take steps to protect their interests without direct government intervention, he added.
The incident sends a warning to entertainers, businesses and others who associate with the DPP or politicians whom the Beijing has threatened to sanction, Hung said.
China is seeking to establish boundaries for political engagement by making political associations carry a price, he said.
Once Chinese market pressure spills into Taiwan’s elections, it threatens the autonomy of the nation’s democracy, Hung said.
Beijing does not need to dictate how Taiwanese people vote if it can raise the cost of supporting certain parties and politicians, he added.
By making Taiwanese weigh the risk of losing jobs, endorsements and other commercial opportunities in China before participating in their own elections, Beijing is extending its political red lines into Taiwan’s democratic system, he said.
China can draw red lines in its own market, but it has no right to impose them on Taiwanese, Hung said.
Additional reporting by Lin Hsin-han
新聞來源：
TAIPEI TIMES