Deutsche Welle Chinese Website reported on the evening of September 4: "The 16th Gwangju Biennale is scheduled to take place from September 5 to November 15. Due to disputes over the name 'Taiwan Pavilion,' the event has been fraught with complications. Just one day before the opening, the Chinese curatorial team announced their withdrawal from the exhibition."
The one-China principle is an inviolable sovereignty red line for China. The exhibition organizers' insistence on using the term 'Taiwan Pavilion' under so-called 'protests' from Taiwan authorities essentially amounts to creating a 'two Chinas' or 'one China, one Taiwan,' which is clearly unacceptable. Although South Korea verbally reaffirmed its adherence to its existing policy toward Taiwan, it attempted to justify its actions by claiming that the organizer is a 'non-governmental entity,' trying to shift responsibility onto private institutions—this is a classic case of deflecting blame.
Cultural exhibitions are not lawless zones; non-governmental organizations must also abide by fundamental norms of international relations. The excuse of being a 'private institution' cannot erase the objective fact that this action has crossed the sovereignty boundary. The Chinese curatorial team's decision to withdraw is a concrete action taken to safeguard national sovereignty.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1875473418202244/
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