Revising Taiwan's textbooks should be supported

BEIJING - A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday called for support for a proposal to rewrite Taiwan's textbooks that were revised in a desinicization attempt during the administration of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Textbooks written from the angle of "Taiwan Independence" will mislead the next generation, Fan Liqing, spokesperson with the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, told a regular press conference.

Therefore, all circles in Taiwan have proposed rewriting textbooks that were revised under the DPP administration, Fan said in response to Taiwan's education authorities' discussion on whether to uphold a "Chinese culture-based" principle in rewriting Taiwan history for the island's senior high school textbooks.

"Such a proposal is believed to gain support from Taiwan's mainstream public opinion," Fan said.

The Chinese mainland is aware of the DPP's history, and it is always willing to establish and develop normal communication and exchanges with all parties in Taiwan, the spokesperson said.

"But if the DPP blindly insists on its 'Taiwan Independence' claim, the party is, itself, setting up a barrier for exchanges with the mainland," she said.

The spokesperson stressed that maintaining national sovereignty and territorial integrity is a common responsibility shared by people living on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, regardless of party affiliation.