TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP Legislator Lin Chu-yin (林楚茵) on Sunday criticized the Taipei City Government for including the Chinese toy brand Pop Mart in the Ximen exhibition area of the Taipei Lantern Festival.

Lin said the founder of Pop Mart is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, arguing the brand is part of China’s united front strategy to export culture, per NOWNews. She questioned why the city government chose a Chinese brand when it could have showcased high-quality local intellectual properties instead.

Taiwan Statebuilding Party member Wu Hsin-tai (吳欣岱) echoed Lin’s criticism, calling the city’s move free advertising for a Chinese brand, per Liberty Times. Wu said Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) was cooperating with China’s united front tactics and undermining Taiwan’s culture.

Both Lin and Wu faced pushback for their remarks. Taipei City Government Deputy Spokesperson Yeh Hsiang-yuan (葉向媛) said Lin had previously been seen using the Chinese app Douyin (抖音) and streaming platform iQIYI, accusing her of hypocrisy.

Lin responded that she stopped using Douyin after learning it was “part of China’s united front tactics.” She called on Chiang to drop Pop Mart from the Taipei Lantern Festival.

Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism Commissioner Yu Hsiang (余祥) replied to Wu by noting Pop Mart’s inclusion in the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, per Liberty Times. Yu said no one would seriously claim New York was being culturally invaded by China.

Yu added that Pop Mart authorized the Taipei exhibit, but the design and production would be handled by Taiwanese designers. She also defended the exhibit’s originality, alluding to a past social media post by Wu that featured a counterfeit Pop Mart product.

KMT member and prospective Taipei city council candidate Chen Kuan-an (陳冠安) also weighed in, pointing to Tainan City Government’s promotion of a Pop Mart Christmas tree in 2025. While agreeing that Taipei should work to develop its own cultural brands, Chen said Wu should also challenge Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) for referring to Taipei 101 as “Taiwan 101,” which he said diluted the landmark’s local brand identity.

Wu later responded, saying she was unaware that Pop Mart was a Chinese brand until it was brought to her attention, per Mirror Media. She criticized the Taipei City Government for allowing a Chinese product that lacks official product verification in Taiwan to circulate in the city.

Wu said that once she realized the product’s origin, she immediately prevented her children from coming into contact with it.