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China pledges to
reach out to Taiwan’s youth
Reuters, Beijing
A senior Chinese official yesterday pledged to reach out to Taiwanese youths to
get them to identify more closely with China.
The comments by Jia Qinglin (賈慶林), the Chinese Communist Party’s fourth-ranked
leader, underscore China’s continuing fears about the future of Taiwan, which
Beijing has vowed to bring under its control, with the use of force, if
necessary.
China will pursue “cultural exchanges, with the goal of ... getting the people
of Taiwan, especially young people, to identify more closely with the Chinese
nation and culture,” Jia told the opening of the annual full session of a
largely ceremonial advisory body to parliament, which he heads.
China has been using cultural exchanges in the areas of art, opera and religion
among others to achieve this goal, Jia said.
In doing so, China has “enhanced the sense of identification of people on both
sides of the Taiwan Strait with Chinese culture and the Chinese nation,” he
added.
Since democratic reforms began in Taiwan in the 1980s, once suppressed native
culture and languages have flourished, especially during the 2000 to 2008
administrations of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of the Democratic
Progressive Party (DPP).
The DPP sought to de-emphasize the country’s cultural and historical links with
China by promoting the teaching of Taiwanese history rather than Chinese history
in schools and supporting the public use of languages other than the official
language of Mandarin.
Surveys in Taiwan increasingly show that people identify themselves as Taiwanese
rather than Chinese.
While the pro-China Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) won the presidency in 2008 and again this
year, China still looks with suspicion at Taiwan’s vibrant democracy and pride
in its distinct identity.
However, Jia said China was committed to developing peaceful relations with
Taiwan.
“We will firmly grasp the theme of peaceful development of relations across the
Taiwan Strait ... and constantly strengthen the political, economic and cultural
foundation and public support for peaceful development of cross-strait ties,” he
said.
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