Turkish descent artist Wu Feng, who has been developing in Taiwan for 18 years, not only married a Taiwanese wife and had a daughter, but also successfully obtained the nationality of the Republic of China in 2018 through the “naturalization of foreign high-level professionals”, officially becoming a Taiwanese. On March 7, Wu Feng posted on Facebook expressing his surprise that the price of Taiwan passports on the black market is as high as $100,000 (approximately 3.28 million New Taiwan Dollars), exclaiming, “It’s so good and happy to be a Taiwanese,” which resonated with many netizens.
March 7th, Wu Feng posted his Republic of China passport on Facebook and shared that he recently learned that the price of Republic of China passports on the black market reaches $100,000, making him cherish being a Taiwanese. He expressed, “I know it’s good and happy to be a Taiwanese. I traveled to many countries with my ROC passport, but I never thought someone would pay so much on the black market.”
Netizens left comments like, “A genuine Taiwanese, thumbs up!” “Thank you for loving Taiwan!” “You love Taiwan even more than Taiwanese!” “Taiwan’s passport is very useful, but it’s the democratic pioneer of Taiwan, fearless against authoritarianism, passing on the spirit. As a Taiwanese, it is everyone’s responsibility to protect the lifestyle of Taiwan’s democracy and freedom.”
At the age of 44, Wu Feng came to Taiwan from Turkey 18 years ago to study, stayed in Taiwan after graduation, settled down, and got married to his Taiwanese wife Rynne in 2015, with whom he has two daughters, leading a happy family life. Wu Feng, who is a host, actor, and writer, won the 47th Golden Bell Award for Best Travel Program Host with “Fun Taiwan” on Sanlih E-Television in 2012, becoming the first foreigner to win a television Golden Bell Award in Taiwan, and has published several Chinese books. In March 2018, he obtained ROC nationality through naturalization as a foreign high-level professional, officially becoming a Taiwanese.
In August 2023, Wu Feng took his family back to Turkey to visit and travel, and when he was traveling, he wrote on Facebook that when he was preparing to fly to Vienna, he was told by customs that his Turkish passport needed a visa or residence permit for Austria to board the plane. Wu Feng immediately presented his ROC passport, and the staff replied, “Taiwanese do not need a visa to go to Austria!” This experience made Wu Feng happy and exclaimed, “So cool! I love you, Taiwan!”
Two days ago on March 7th, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi claimed at a foreign press conference of the “Two Sessions” that “the only designation of Taiwan in the United Nations is China’s Taiwan Province,” deliberately distorting UN Resolution 2758, which prompted a strong dissatisfaction and stern condemnation from the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In fact, UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 does not mention Taiwan in its entirety, nor does it declare Taiwan as part of the PRC, and in legal terms it does not authorize the PRC to represent Taiwan and its people in the UN and its specialized agencies.
Wang Yi’s misleading remarks that were broadcast internationally became a hot topic on Weibo, with CCTV News, a mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, hastily producing propaganda urging the entertainment industry to act as “vanguards” and reposting United Front articles. On the 8th, CCTV made another move, screenshotting and naming Taiwanese artists to “complete the task,” while “Little Pink” initiated a “witch hunt” by listing Taiwanese artists who had not yet posted topics related to the “China’s Taiwan Province.”
Japanese senior media figure and executive director of the Indo-Pacific Strategic Think Tank, Yasutake Akiho, stated that for Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to say that Taiwan’s future name is “China’s Taiwan Province” is a very terrifying statement. In his view, once Taiwan becomes a Taiwanese province of the PRC, everyone living in Taiwan will not be able to protect their lives and property.
Wu Feng also shared on Facebook his experiences of traveling to Europe and other countries multiple times using his ROC passport: “With a Turkish passport, I needed to apply for a visa and wait for several days, but with my ROC passport, I entered New Zealand without a visa.” Wu Feng humorously added, “Later on, when I went to Europe and some countries, sometimes customs officers looked at my face, then my passport, and asked what’s going on, and I would simply say, ‘I’m Taiwanese, it’s that simple’!”
As a Taiwanese son-in-law, Wu Feng has always been vocal about his love for Taiwan. He once shared his travel habit of leaving a note thanking the housekeeping staff with “from Taiwan” written on it every time he left a hotel. This heartwarming gesture was praised by netizens, with many Taiwanese netizens also deeply resonating, saying, “The Taiwanese passport is really useful, so convenient and impressive.”