Mainland spokeswoman calls for more exchanges after flag row

A Chinese mainland spokeswoman on Wednesday called for more contact and exchanges between younger generations across the Taiwan Strait after a flag incident involving a Taiwan singer raised an uproar online. "The incident should not have happened," said Fan Liqing, of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference. Fan said she hoped relevant people could carefully handle the incident and not let other factors disturb cross-Strait cultural exchanges. Taiwan singer and songwriter Deserts Xuan, also known in the mainland as Zhang Xuan, sparked heated discussions online by bringing a flag onto the stage while performing in the United Kingdom. A student from the Chinese mainland in attendance shouted the phrase "No politics today!" during the show. Fan did not confirm whether the singer's scheduled year-end concert in Beijing has been canceled or not, but personnel from customer service at Damai.cn, an online ticket vendor, said on Wednesday they had not received a notice of cancellation.