During this year's Chinese National Day holiday in October, several Taiwan singers and actors expressed their best wishes to the country, celebrating its anniversary.

Entertainers including Wang Tung-cheng and Liu Keng-hung reposted messages on social media platform Weibo celebrating the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, extending their wishes for the country's prosperity. Taiwan actress Chen Yenhsi, also known as Michelle Chen, took part in state broadcaster CCTV's National Day special program.

These actions drew criticism from Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities, with the island's "mainland affairs council" publicly naming the 19 Taiwan artists who sent National Day greetings. The council warned that further investigations and actions would be taken if they crossed certain "red lines".

Also on Oct 1, Taiwan singer and actor Wu Chi-lung, also known as Nicky Wu, posted a short video on Douyin showing him holding a national flag and extending National Day wishes from Tian'anmen Square in Beijing.

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The day after the video was posted, Taiwan's Fubon Guardians baseball team announced that Wu's scheduled appearance as the ceremonial first-pitch guest on Oct 4 had been canceled due to his "personal health condition".

Responding to online comments that he should maintain his stance if he wanted to continue earning money on the mainland, Wu said, "Even if I weren't making money, I would still hold this position."

At a regular news conference on Wednesday, Chen Binhua, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said it is natural for Taiwan compatriots to express their patriotic sentiments voluntarily.

"Taiwan artists' sending greetings to the motherland and expressing patriotic feelings on National Day are genuine expressions of their heartfelt emotions," Chen said.

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He condemned the DPP authorities for repeatedly threatening and intimidating Taiwan artists and engaging in "green terror", seriously hurting the national sentiments of Taiwan compatriots and losing public support.

In recent years, the DPP authorities have tightened scrutiny on Taiwan artists who openly express support for the one-China principle.

In March 2025, a number of Taiwan artists reposted a message referring to Taiwan as "China's Taiwan province". The island's "mainland affairs council" responded with its "strongest condemnation" and threatened to investigate the artists involved, seeking to restrict such expressions through legal measures.

Beyond public figures, DPP authorities have also introduced a series of measures affecting Taiwan residents' travel to the mainland. For example, Taiwan public servants visiting the mainland are required to provide contact information for their mainland relatives and are prohibited from applying for certain identification documents on the mainland.

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Starting from Sept 1, the island's tourism authorities further require travel agencies to inform travelers of the "risks of traveling to the mainland" and assist them in completing predeparture records for mainland trips.

These measures have been described by critics on the island as "green terror", in reference to the color used on the DPP's logo.

Despite the restrictions, cross-Strait exchanges have remained robust in recent months.

During this year's National Day holiday, ports in Fujian province handled more than 53,000 passenger trips involving cross-Strait travel, according to local border inspection authorities. Fuzhou airport operated more than 30 direct flights to and from Taiwan, carrying over 4,500 passengers during the holiday period.

Meanwhile, travel to the mainland has gained popularity among younger generations in Taiwan.

In August, the number of Taiwan residents aged 20 to 29 traveling to the mainland exceeded 30,000 passenger trips for the first time after the pandemic, an increase of about 9.6 percent year-on-year, according to the island's tourism authority.