The Central Bank of Taiwan has recently promoted the redesign of the New Taiwan Dollar bills, intending to deliberately avoid political and historical figures by no longer featuring portraits of Sun Yat-sen and others. The Taiwan Affairs Office claims that this move harbors ill intentions and is contemptible.
Additionally, regarding Pop Mart's upcoming appearance at the Taipei Lantern Festival which has drawn criticisms from the DPP, the Taiwan Affairs Office stated that politicians are “overreacting,” exposing a twisted mentality.
This redesign project for the New Taiwan Dollar bills takes “The Beauty of Taiwan” as its theme. During the online voting for design options, political or historical figures were deliberately avoided, and elements such as ecology, technology, art, and sustainability became the focus. This means that Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek, and others will no longer appear on the bills in the future. Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office, said on the 5th that this year marks the 160th anniversary of the birth of Sun Yat-sen, the great forerunner of China’s democratic revolution. The DPP authorities have deliberately promoted “removing Sun Yat-sen” from banknotes with the aim of severing the historical and cultural ties across the strait and advancing “de-sinicization”, thereby fostering a “Taiwan independence” ideology in Taiwanese society. “Such manipulative politics with hidden motives is a betrayal of Mr. Sun Yat-sen and the pioneers of the Xinhai Revolution—forgetting one’s roots—which is contemptible.”
Retorting DPP Attacks on LABUBU as Psychologically Twisted
This year's Taipei Lantern Festival will be held from February 25 to March 15, with the Ximending exhibition area cooperating with mainland Chinese trend toy brand Pop Mart to display six highly popular characters including LABUBU and Xing Xing Ren. The DPP criticized leaving the main spotlight of the festival to a “mainland brand” as “lacking cultural confidence” and “giving free advertising.” In response, Chen Binhua rebuked the DPP for having an “anti-China at all costs” and “twisted mentality.”