Mainland China spokeswoman says Communist Party ’patriots’ who died decades ago inspire towards ‘complete reunification’
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenPhoebe Zhangin ShenzhenPublished: 5:00pm, 1 Apr 2026Updated: 5:11pm, 1 Apr 2026Beijing has confirmed receiving the cremated remains of historic Communist Party spies from Taiwan and hailed the ‘patriots’ as providing encouragement in its pursuit of reunification.Zhang Han, spokeswoman for the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office, told reporters on Wednesday that the ashes had been returned before the Ching Ming Festival, a tomb-sweeping day, on April 5 and days before the chairwoman of the opposition Kuomintang party, Cheng Li-wun, was expected to visit.“The heroic deeds of these patriots will never be forgotten by the people or by history. Their ideals, beliefs and character are bound to inspire compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to strive for the early achievement of complete reunification of the motherland and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” Zhang said.
Taiwan ban on mainland app RedNote sparks download frenzy
Taiwan ban on mainland app RedNote sparks download frenzyThe party’s espionage activities in Taiwan started in the final months of the civil war, with the defeated KMT retreating to the island in June 1949.
Mainland Chinese authorities have not officially stated how many spies and other operatives were killed on the island. Three have been returned in recent months, according to current public reports.
On March 27, the ashes of Chen Lin, who died in Taiwan in 1950, were escorted by representatives from both sides back to his hometown in Hefei, Anhui province, according to Henan TV.
Chen had enlisted for the military in 1938 when the Communist Party and the KMT had formed an alliance, despite tension and scepticism between them, to fight Japanese aggression. Later, Chen was assigned a secret mission to work for the Communist Party from Taiwan, Henan TV said.
In spring 1949, months before the People’s Republic of China was founded, Chen wrote a letter home claiming he would be at work on this business trip for a long time. It was the last time his family heard from him.
