MAC slams Beijing over threats tied to Kevin Tsai’s campaign appearance

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday criticized Beijing after a Chinese military-linked social media account appeared to threaten television host Kevin Tsai (蔡康永) for attending a campaign event for Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen (沈伯洋).

Chinese authorities have labeled Shen, a Democratic Progressive Party legislator-at-large, a "diehard Taiwan independence separatist."

"In Taiwan, supporting any candidate is a very easy thing to do and comes at almost no cost," MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said at a regularly scheduled news briefing in Taipei.

MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh.

Photo: CNA

"But in the eyes of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), that is not the case," he said, accusing Beijing of using threats to dictate whom people can and cannot support.

Liang also said that if Taiwan operated under Hong Kong’s electoral system, Shen would have been disqualified from running for office.

Hong Kong introduced a candidate vetting system in 2021 under Beijing’s "patriots governing Hong Kong" principle, under which only those deemed loyal to Beijing are allowed to run for office.

"I believe nobody wants Taiwan’s elections to be decided by the CCP," Liang said.

Liang’s remarks came after a social media account affiliated with China’s People’s Liberation Army on Tuesday criticized a "Taiwanese public figure" for appearing at a campaign event for Shen, without naming Tsai.

In a post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, the account said there was "no room for ambiguity" on "Taiwan independence" and called pro-independence forces "mortal enemies of the Chinese people."

It also warned that those who profited from the Chinese market while "flirting with Taiwan independence" would eventually "pay a price too heavy to bear."

Tsai, who has hosted television shows in China, attended the opening of Shen’s campaign headquarters on Sunday, drawing criticism from Chinese internet users and prompting some Chinese companies to distance themselves from him.

Tsai later said he attended the event to hear different views. His manager said he was considering interviewing both Shen and incumbent Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), who is seeking reelection as the Kuomintang candidate.

On Monday, Chiang defended Tsai’s right to attend political events and invited him to the opening of his own campaign headquarters. Tsai said he would be happy to attend once he received an invitation with the details.

Shen has been on Beijing’s list of "diehard Taiwan independence separatists" since October 2024. Chinese authorities have been conducting a criminal investigation into him since October 2025 for allegedly supporting Taiwanese secession.

China views Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring about unification.