Taiwanese talk show host Kevin Tsai (Cai Kang-yong), best known for co-hosting the popular show Kangsi Coming, recently attended the campaign headquarters inauguration of Puma Shen, a DPP candidate for Taipei mayor who has been labeled a “Taiwan independence hardliner” by Beijing. Tsai said he was there simply to observe and listen, and that he hoped to understand the views of different candidates.

The reaction from mainland China was extraordinary. His appearance triggered a wave of online backlash, while Chinese automaker Leapmotor, which had previously collaborated with him, issued a statement distancing itself from him, removing related content, and reserving the right to pursue legal action.

What makes this incident particularly absurd is that Tsai has generally been perceived as having a pro-Beijing, politically deep-blue stance. Yet even his mere presence at a campaign event for a politician disliked by Beijing has become intolerable to the Chinese Communist Party and its supporters.

Listening to different candidates and considering their political views is a fundamental right of every citizen in a democracy. Simply attending a political event to hear what a candidate has to say should never be treated as an act of disloyalty, let alone a reason for professional retaliation.

A government confident in its own position should have nothing to fear from people listening to opposing views. If merely hearing what another candidate has to say is enough to trigger public outrage and commercial retaliation, then what the authorities demand is clearly not genuine patriotism or national unity. They demand obedience.

The CCP does not want citizens with independent minds. It wants 100% loyal slaves. The most revealing part of this incident is that the supposedly dangerous act was nothing more than being willing to listen to what someone else had to say.