Taipei: Taiwan’s government issued a video calling for the “immediate stop to actions harming national sovereignty” on Monday after a number of popular Taiwanese artists shared Chinese propaganda posts claiming that Taiwan is a “province” of China.

According to Focus Taiwan, this development followed the dissemination of messages from Chinese state-media outlet Central China Television (CCTV) by Taiwanese singers, actors, and a TV anchor. These messages echoed remarks by China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, which contradict Taiwan’s official policy on cross-Taiwan Strait relations.

Wang, who is also a member of the central committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), stated at a press conference at China’s National People’s Congress on March 7 that “Taiwan’s only designation at the U.N. is ‘Taiwan Province, China.'” This statement has been shared by more than a dozen Taiwanese artists based in China, including Patty Hou and Ouyang Nana, through the Chinese social media platform Weibo, prompting an official response from Taiwan.

Chiu Chui-cheng, the head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), asserted in the video that “The Republic of China [Taiwan’s official name] is a sovereign and independent country, and Taiwan has never been a part of the People’s Republic of China.” Chiu emphasized that a minority of Taiwanese individuals have consistently echoed Chinese Communist Party officials, undermining national sovereignty and harming Taiwan’s interests for personal gain on the mainland.

Chiu further expressed his belief that most Taiwanese people strongly condemn these actions. He noted that the CCP has “for a long time mobilized Taiwanese artists to make political statements” at specific times. Recently, some Taiwanese artists have echoed calls to “destroy their own country,” a notion that “all citizens of the Republic of China [Taiwan] cannot tolerate and feel contempt for.”

The video calls on these artists to “immediately stop actions that undermine national sovereignty.” While freedom of speech is protected under the Constitution of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Chiu did not suggest that any crimes were committed by the artists. However, he warned that under Article 33-1 of the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, Taiwanese citizens are legally prohibited from cooperating with any agencies of the Chinese government, its ruling party, or its military.