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.
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
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