Athlete stands firm on his Chinese identity

Lee Tung-hsien, a taekwondo athlete from Taiwan, said the reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is the right path, after his Taiwan identity was revoked by Taiwan authorities.

Lee was quoted by a digital media platform affiliated to China Media Group on Saturday as saying that he would not be intimidated by the action of "Taiwan independence" activists.

In addition to Lee, the Taiwan identities of two other people were also revoked by the island authorities, which claimed they were found holding Chinese mainland resident ID cards.

"My home is in Taiwan, and my roots are in China. I hold a Chinese resident ID card; what wrong have I committed?" Lee said. "I was born and raised in Taiwan, and that is a fact, but it must be made clear that we are people of Taiwan province."

He challenged Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities, saying: "Do you 'Taiwan independence' activists think that by revoking my Taiwan identity, you can scare me? Daydreaming! Reunification across the Taiwan Strait is the right path."

Recently, Taiwan's mainland affairs council claimed that after verification, three individuals from Taiwan were found to be in possession of Chinese mainland ID cards, and that their Taiwan identities had been revoked.

In response, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, issued a statement on Friday affirming that Taiwan residents have the freedom and right to choose to settle and reside on the mainland.

He said the central and local governments will continue to create better conditions and provide greater space for compatriots from Taiwan to study, work, start businesses and settle on the mainland.

Chen emphasized that the DPP authorities' actions are intended to intimidate and restrict Taiwan people's free choices, using all means to interfere with and disrupt cross-Strait exchanges and integrated development.

"It will be condemned by the people and will not succeed," he said.

According to a report by Xiamen Satellite TV based in Fujian province on Saturday, Lee is from Tainan city in Taiwan and has participated in taekwondo competitions on the mainland multiple times since 2013. In 2021, he began residing long-term in cities such as Xiamen and Shanghai.

In May 2023, he participated in the Asia-Pacific Masters Games held in South Korea and proudly held up the Chinese national flag when he mounted the podium to receive his bronze medal.

Speaking to the media after the competition, he said, "I am very proud to be Chinese!"

At the end of 2023, Lee moved to Nantong, Jiangsu province, to engage in taekwondo and social media work, according to the report. Last year, he registered his household on the Chinese mainland and found his mainland relatives through ancestral tracing.

Lee was quoted by the report as saying that friends on both sides of the Taiwan Strait support his decision to obtain a mainland ID card.

"This allows me to better strive for awards on the international stage and to raise the flag that belongs to us Chinese," he said.

jiangchenglong@chinadaily.com.cn