Ling Yu-shih Photo: huanqiu.com

The Taiwan authorities' removal of large chunks of traditional Chinese literature from the new curriculum guidelines is intended to pave the way for "Taiwan independence," Ling Yu-shih, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), told the Global Times on Friday.

After attending the second plenary meeting of the second session of the 14th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday, Ling told the Global Times that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities want to "eliminate" traditional Chinese culture in order to pave the way for "Taiwan independence."

Ling, who was born in Taiwan, said that the inheritance of traditional culture relies on textbooks, and since the Taiwan authorities have removed large chunks of traditional Chinese literature from the curriculum, it is obvious that the DPP is creating a path to "Taiwan independence."

Only after the DPP authorities remove the content related to traditional Chinese values can they create an impression for the next generation that Taiwan and the mainland have no connection, so that the distorted "Taiwan independence" rhetoric can spread more easily, the deputy said.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council, told a press conference on December 13, 2023 that the DPP authorities were sparing no effort to promote "de-Sinicization" in Taiwan, in order to sever the cultural connection between the two sides and deceive the people of Taiwan, causing confusion in historical memory and distortion of national identity among the young generations in Taiwan.

Zhu noted that any act of "de-Sinicization" cannot change the deep-rooted Chinese cultural and national identity in the Taiwan region, and nor can it sever the historical connection between the two sides and the blood ties between compatriots on both sides. The DPP authorities' actions will surely face stronger opposition from compatriots across the Straits, Zhu said.

Experts told the Global Times previously that the "natural independence" among young people in Taiwan is actually a result of the "de-Sinicization" education they have been exposed to by the DPP authorities. This politicization of education is fundamentally fragile and doomed to collapse because, regardless of the efforts made by the DPP, they cannot change the fact that their bloodline and cultural roots stem from China and will always be Chinese.

Global Times