TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's government body representing aboriginal populations issued a forceful declaration Friday (May 9) rejecting claims of Chinese ancestry, amid growing tensions over cultural identity. The Council of Indigenous Peoples (原住民族委員會), the cabinet-level agency overseeing Taiwan's native ethnic groups, emphasized that the island's original inhabitants are Austronesian peoples with distinct lineage and traditions separate from Han Chinese heritage. Officials explicitly stated that Taiwan's Indigenous communities cannot be classified as part of the "Chinese nation."
The statement emphasized the extensive anthropological and linguistic connections linking Taiwan's Indigenous peoples with other Austronesian populations across the Pacific region. Officials directly challenged Beijing's "same ancestry and same origin" (同宗同祖) assertions, which have been used to support territorial claims over Taiwan. The council cautioned against allowing Indigenous cultural exchanges to become vehicles for political unification agendas, insisting that any cross-strait interactions must occur on equal footing without subordinating Indigenous identity to external political frameworks.
The council's statement included a pointed warning to Indigenous representatives engaged in cross-strait activities, urging heightened awareness of potential political manipulation. Officials expressed concern that cultural exchanges could be leveraged by Beijing to undermine Taiwan's democratic institutions and the autonomous cultural status of Indigenous communities. The message emphasized the importance of maintaining vigilance against narratives that might compromise the distinct identity and dignity of Taiwan's aboriginal peoples.
The council's statement follows recent media coverage of Kung Wen-chi (孔文吉), who previously represented Indigenous constituencies in Taiwan's legislature as a member of the Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨), Taiwan's main opposition party with historically closer ties to China. Kung participated in a cultural program at Yunnan Minzu University (雲南民族大學) in southwestern China where prominent banners displayed politically charged slogans: "Same ancestry, same origin, Chinese soul; cross-strait family, heart to heart" (同宗同祖中華魂、兩岸一家心連心). ★
