Taiwan celebrities in crossfire of political battle as tensions with China rise

CNN —

As Taiwan’s biggest rock band took to the stage in Beijing late last month, their home island was reckoning with the latest act of Chinese aggression.

For two days, the self-governing democracy was encircled by Chinese warships and fighter jets in thelargest military exercises in over a year.

Addressing the tens of thousands of fans at the sold-out Bird’s Nest stadium, Mayday’s lead singer Ashin did not mention the aggression. But what he did say has since caused no less friction.

“We Chinese people must eat roast duck when we come to Beijing!” he said.

It may sound like an innocuous travel tip, but his choice of words was freighted with political meaning. Ashin – one of Taiwan’s biggest music stars – had referred to himself as Chinese, instead of Taiwanese.

The choice of words delighted the crowd, but sparked immediate anger back home – reflecting the precarious position of Taiwanese stars with mainland appeal.

Growing numbers of people in Taiwan – especially the younger generation – view themselves as distinctly Taiwanese. Many have no desire to be part of China, whose authoritarian ruling Communist Party views the self-ruled island as its territory, despite having never controlled it.

Beijing has long sought to bolster its claims by emphasizing the cultural and historical ties between the two sides, but polls show only 3% of Taiwan’s population identify primarily as Chinese – while 67% see themselves as primarily Taiwanese, and less than 10% now support an immediate or eventual unification with China.

Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, Beijing has become more aggressive toward Taiwan, and has abandoned official ties since the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party came to power in 2016. But there