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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Elections & Politics

Chen Pei-chi Defends Beijing Trip Amid Political Firestorm

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Chen Pei-chi, wife of former Taiwan People's Party chairman Ko Wen-je, confirmed she recently visited Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Beijing.
  • She defended her trip, questioning why Taiwanese people visiting Beijing would be considered criminal by certain political factions.
  • Chen stated her travel was funded by her own savings from 35 years of medical work and that she had no contact with anyone outside of service staff during her trip.

Chen Pei-chi, the wife of former Taiwan People's Party chairman Ko Wen-je, has openly admitted to a recent week-long trip to mainland China, visiting Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Beijing. Her confirmation came after a netizen posted a photo on Threads claiming to have seen her at Beijing Capital International Airport returning to Taiwan via an EVA Air flight.

What's wrong with me traveling to Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Beijing for a week? Why can't an ordinary citizen go to Beijing for tourism? In the eyes of the 'Blue Bird' movement and the green camp, are Taiwanese people committing a crime by going to Beijing? We even call ourselves a democracy...

— Chen Pei-chiChen Pei-chi's response on Facebook to criticism about her trip to mainland China.

Chen fiercely defended her travel, posting on Facebook, "What's wrong with me traveling to Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Beijing for a week? Why can't an ordinary citizen go to Beijing for tourism? In the eyes of the 'Blue Bird' movement and the green camp, are Taiwanese people committing a crime by going to Beijing?"

Shame on you, DPP and your green media internet army!

— Chen Pei-chiChen Pei-chi's strong rebuke of the Democratic Progressive Party and its affiliated media.

She emphasized her 35 years of work as a doctor, noting she never took extended leave even for lung cancer surgery. Chen stated she used her own savings from her career to travel, questioning the public outcry. "Where did I go wrong? What 'news' is the Blue Bird movement trying to expose? They just want to use the Blue Bird movement and green media to insinuate and slander that I've done something wrong. Shame on you, DPP and your green media internet army!"

amazing

— Chen Pei-chiChen Pei-chi's description of her trip to her husband, Ko Wen-je.

Chen shared photos from her trip, asserting she had minimal interaction with anyone except service staff. She also recounted a private conversation with her husband, Ko Wen-je, who had jokingly advised her not to write about her trip. "Otherwise, the Blue Birds will surround you and kill you," he reportedly said. Chen countered by asking if Taiwan was an authoritarian state with a "bamboo curtain" where citizens' travel reflections were subject to censorship.

Otherwise, the Blue Birds will surround you and kill you.

— Ko Wen-jeKo Wen-je's joking warning to his wife about sharing her travel experiences.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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