The Department of Health (DOH) recently ran a newspaper ad: "Both SARS and bandit spies come from China, but with everyone's hard work, the cases of SARS infection are less than the number of bandit spies [in Taiwan]." The ad was severely criticized for juxtaposing medical and health issues with the highly sensitive and political cross-strait relationship. It was also called an inappropriate political act. However, in light of the ongoing spy game between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, the ad vividly depicts the fact that there are no barriers that severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and "bandit spies" can't penetrate.
On Wednesday, the National Security Bureau and other law enforcement units cracked down on a group that specialized in brokering Chinese workers to work in this country while secretly smuggling in Chinese agents disguised as average workers. Government statistics indicate that this network probably brought in more than 500 Chinese. Only a further investigation will make clear how many of them were spies. For the moment, we appear to have backslid to the days when our entire country joined in the campaign to hunt down "bandit spies."
With the spread of the SARS epidemic, it seems reasonable to associate China with the illness, which appears to have originated in Guangdong Province. The National Police Administration and the Council for Labor Affairs took turns in tightening the control and management of brides, workers, stowaways and other people from China. As the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion were abolished in 1987, the government no longer considers the two sides of the Strait to be in a state of war. However, China has adamantly refused to denounce the use of force against Taiwan and has also refused signing any treaty officially ending the war. Therefore, Taiwan has never really progressed beyond the stage of cross-strait hostility.
When the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion were in force, there was a very clear awareness of enemy hostility, which made it easy to prevent enemy infiltration. With increased cross-strait interaction and flourishing economic and personal exchanges between the two sides, not to mention the abundant politicians who toddy to China, people have begun to lose their sense of alertness. Evidently, Taiwan has gotten used to comfortable living, completely forgetting about the existence of its enemies and the lurking of impending crises.
In terms of national security, the SARS outbreak may herald a positive new beginning. As a result of the epidemic and the successful unearthing of the spy network, the government has a chance to re-establish an awareness of national security issues in the mind of the public, reminding people that China is a hostile enemy. Even as the SARS virus does its damage internally, Chinese spies are here to topple the country from within.
Moreover, the government also needs to perform enhanced security checks on the Chinese entering Taiwan. Besides inspecting documents and paperwork, DNA checks of incoming Chinese dependents must be conducted to ascertain the existence of the required blood relationship. As for Chinese brides, they should also be followed and monitored. We must strengthen the management of Chinese workers nationwide. Perhaps the comparison between the SARS epidemic and "bandit spies" is questionable. But from the standpoint of national security, recent experience offers new revelations about the threat of Chinese spies.
Two weeks ago, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) raised hackles in Taiwan by posting to her 2.6 million Instagram followers that she was visiting “Taipei, China.” Yeoh’s post continues a long-standing trend of Chinese propaganda that spreads disinformation about Taiwan’s political status and geography, aimed at deceiving the world into supporting its illegitimate claims to Taiwan, which is not and has never been part of China. Taiwan must respond to this blatant act of cognitive warfare. Failure to respond merely cedes ground to China to continue its efforts to conquer Taiwan in the global consciousness to justify an invasion. Taiwan’s government
This month’s news that Taiwan ranks as Asia’s happiest place according to this year’s World Happiness Report deserves both celebration and reflection. Moving up from 31st to 27th globally and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s happiness leader is gratifying, but the true significance lies deeper than these statistics. As a society at the crossroads of Eastern tradition and Western influence, Taiwan embodies a distinctive approach to happiness worth examining more closely. The report highlights Taiwan’s exceptional habit of sharing meals — 10.1 shared meals out of 14 weekly opportunities, ranking eighth globally. This practice is not merely about food, but represents something more
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
RSS