TAIPEI, June 21 -- Chinese actor Zhang Linghe won over the crowd with a greeting in Taiwanese Minnan during a surprise appearance at a cross-strait forum - but the rising star soon found himself at the centre of a political storm.

Believed to be the first Chinese actor invited to address the main plenary session of the annual Straits Forum, Zhang used his six-minute speech to call for closer cultural exchanges between China and Taiwan, drawing enthusiastic support from many fans while prompting criticism from Taiwanese officials, according to The Straits Times.

The 28-year-old, who gained a sizeable following in Taiwan after starring in the hit Chinese period drama Pursuit of Jade, opened his remarks with "tak ke ho", or "hello" in Taiw...