Taiwan's China policy body is pushing back after a Taipei landmark was rented out to a group that used it to film pro-unification content, a warning sign for how Beijing uses culture as a political tool.

• A private group rented the Confucius Temple's main hall for a monthly fee, saying it wanted to promote Confucian teaching and traditional Han clothing.
• It instead filmed "cross-strait" festival videos there, and footage of members visiting China aired on Chinese state television in Xiamen.
• Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said culture should stay neutral and that it will firmly reject Beijing's attempts to turn it into a propaganda or unification weapon.
• Officials stressed the real gap between Taiwan and China is the political system, not shared language or culture.
• Taipei city councillors say the group is one piece of a wider influence campaign, and the city department that approved the lease admits it had no idea beforehand.

Outlook: Taipei's civil affairs department has promised a deeper investigation, with more scrutiny likely on another event the group has planned for November.