The Chou Tzu-yu (Tzuyu) flag-waving incident has sent shockwaves across Taiwan, especially occurring right before the presidential election. A 16-year-old girl holding the flag of her home country, the Republic of China (ROC), was labeled as a “pro-independence activist” by Huang An and subsequently forced by her Korean agency, JYP, to film a humiliating apology.
This incident has exposed several painful truths:
First, it highlights the precarious international status of the Republic of China. For many Taiwanese, the ROC flag is the status quo. However, to the mainland Chinese government and certain “patriotic” individuals like Huang An, the existence of the ROC flag is equated with Taiwan independence.
Second, the political exploitation in Taiwan has been blatant. While everyone naturally feels sympathy for a young girl being bullied, many “pro-independence” activists who usually despise the ROC flag suddenly became its most fervent defenders. They utilized the public’s anger to attack the Ma Ying-jeou administration, claiming Ma’s policies led to this humiliation.
But let’s be honest: would a “Republic of Taiwan” flag have fared any better? The international community doesn’t even recognize a “Taiwan” flag. At least the ROC flag represents a historical and legal entity that actually exists.
The tragedy is that Tzuyu became a pawn in a game of high-stakes political chess between Beijing, Taipei, and a K-pop conglomerate concerned with its mainland market share.
If we truly want to protect the next “Tzuyu,” we need to be clear about our own national identity. Constantly wavering between being “Taiwanese” and “Chinese,” while tearing down the very symbols of the state that protects us, only makes us more vulnerable to external pressure.