Comment on Taiwan TV draws criticism on both sides of the Strait

A comment made on a Taiwan TV program claiming that "there are no refrigerators in Beijing" has drawn criticism on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

"Such remarks, which are detached from reality, will only make a laughingstock of themselves," Zhang Han, a spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a regular news conference on Wednesday.

She said the Democratic Progressive Party authorities have imposed restrictions on and obstructed cross-Strait exchanges and interactions, deliberately creating an "information cocoon" on the island in an attempt to prevent Taiwan residents from learning about the mainland.

"We welcome Taiwan residents to break through these barriers, visit the mainland more often and see for themselves the real and vibrant mainland," Zhang said.

On a Taiwan TV program called Newswawawa, Liao Mei-ran, a self-described "fortune teller", claimed that during a visit to the mainland, she found "there were no refrigerators in Beijing, and people in Beijing did not have cold drinks".

The remark drew attention on both sides of the Strait. Some Taiwan netizens said it reflected the extent to which the island has become an "information cocoon".

"While it may appear that you are mocking the mainland, in fact, it is Taiwan that is embarrassing itself," one commenter wrote.