Taiwan Culture Minister's Paris interview calling Taiwan China's magic mirror sparks heated debates

Minister of Culture Li Yuan led a delegation to France early this month and gave an exclusive interview to Radio France Internationale (RFI) in Paris, discussing the role of Taiwanese culture on the international stage and the special significance of cross-strait relations. During the interview, Minister Li pointed out that the existence of Taiwan and Taiwanese culture is a "source of pain" for China because "our existence acts like a magic mirror that reveals demons." This remark immediately attracted widespread attention across the strait and within the international community. Minister Li's statements are not only the expression of a personal viewpoint, but also a concrete manifestation of the Ministry of Culture's ongoing efforts over the years to enhance international visibility through cultural diplomacy.

Since the 1990s, Taiwan has gradually promoted a "culture going global" policy, conveying local values outward through soft power such as film, music, and the cultural and creative industries. In recent years, faced with political and cultural pressure from mainland China in international arenas, Taiwan has increasingly viewed culture as a key tool to counter diplomatic isolation. During his visit to France, in addition to participating in cultural festival exchange activities, Li also held discussions with figures from the French arts and literary circles, emphasizing Taiwan's uniqueness in indigenous culture, local creative industries, and diverse ethnic identity, with the hope of using these elements to present to the world an image of Taiwan unconstrained by a single political framework.

Against the backdrop of tense cross-strait relations, the "magic mirror" metaphor carries profound political implications. Mainland China has long used the "one China" principle to restrict Taiwan's participation in international organizations and has attempted to diminish Taiwan's visibility in the international cultural sphere. Li Yuan's remarks imply that Taiwan's cultural practices and creations are not merely artistic expressions, but also a mirror reflecting cross-strait political realities, revealing the internal contradictions and anxieties within China regarding the issue of unification. This statement also echoes recent discussions in Taiwanese society regarding subjectivity and self-identity, demonstrating that culture has become the intersection of public issues and national identity.

As a major cultural hub in Europe, France provided a media platform through RFI that allowed Li Yuan's viewpoints to be rapidly disseminated to Europe and other linguistic spheres. This move not only enhanced Taiwan's visibility in Western countries, but also allowed international audiences to examine the complexity of cross-strait relations from another angle. For France and the European Union, Taiwan's cultural and creative industries offer possibilities for cooperation while also serving as an opportunity for Europe to reposition itself within Asia's diverse cultural landscape. From a diplomatic perspective, the Minister of Culture's remarks are equivalent to using soft power to explain to the international community Taiwan's independence and contribution to the global cultural ecosystem.

In summary, Li Yuan's use of the "magic mirror" metaphor to describe the existence of Taiwanese culture during his RFI interview highlights the new role of culture in cross-strait political maneuvering. This remark is not only a response to China's political pressure, but also a declaration of Taiwan's self-positioning, indicating Taiwan's willingness to continue speaking out on the international stage with a diverse, innovative, and open cultural image, and to challenge the framework of a single narrative through the power of culture. Looking ahead, as Taiwan's cultural industry continues to develop and international cooperation deepens, this "magic mirror" may well become an important indicator for observing changes in cross-strait relations. (Source of facts: Central News Agency)