Legislators across party lines yesterday expressed concern over national security after it was revealed that the daughter of a high-ranking official at the Military Intelligence Bureau is a college student in China.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方), a member of the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, said although it was not illegal for the official’s daughter to study in China, it should have been avoided given the sensitivity of her father’s job.
Lin suggested that lawmakers amend the law if there is a consensus that the children of high-ranking security officials should be banned from studying in China.
KMT Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) alleged that the intelligence official sent his daughter to China because National Security Council Secretary-General Su Chi (蘇起) and Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Ping-kun (江丙坤) were not sanctioned after members of their families were found to have business interests in China.
“If a leader sets a bad example his subordinates are likely to follow,” Lo said, referring to Su’s younger brother, National Chengchi University law professor Su Yeong-chin (蘇永欽), who serves as a visiting professor at Zhejiang University in China, and Su Chi’s wife, Chen Yue-ching (陳月卿), who went to Beijing in April to promote a book.
The legislators were responding to a story in the Chinese-language Next Magazine, which said the daughter of Lee Wen-fang (李文芳), a section director of the Military Intelligence Bureau, is studying in China.
KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) said Chinese intelligence officials would seize this “perfect opportunity” to breach Taiwan’s security.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said government officials had imitated the behavior of members of Su Chi’s family.
KMT caucus secretary-general Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔), on the other hand, urged politicians to respect the right of people to choose where to study.
Yang said about 1,500 Taiwanese study in China each year, and added that education and politics should be separate.
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that Lee’s daughter’s situation had nothing to do with Lee’s job.
“Lee has passed regular background and security checks during his service with the Military Intelligence Bureau. He reported that his daughter is studying in China. There is no problem with that,” a press release from the ministry said.
In related news, the Control Yuan’s latest asset declarations of government officials released yesterday showed that Examination Yuan President John Kuan (關中) owns a house in Shanghai.
Kuan and his wife bought the house in May 2005 for NT$17.5 million (US$526,000). Kuan’s wife owns the property.
One of Kuan’s staff said that the house is used by the couple’s daughter Kuan Yun-ti (關雲娣) who has a film company in Shanghai.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG AND JIMMY CHUANG
‘LAGGING BEHIND’: The NATO secretary-general called on democratic allies to be ‘clear-eyed’ about Beijing’s military buildup, urging them to boost military spending NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte mentioning China’s bullying of Taiwan and its ambition to reshape the global order has significance during a time when authoritarian states are continuously increasing their aggression, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. In a speech at the Carnegie Europe think tank in Brussels on Thursday, Rutte said Beijing is bullying Taiwan and would start to “nibble” at Taiwan if Russia benefits from a post-invasion peace deal with Ukraine. He called on democratic allies to boost defense investments and also urged NATO members to increase defense spending in the face of growing military threats from Russia
LEAP FORWARD: The new tanks are ‘decades more advanced than’ the army’s current fleet and would enable it to compete with China’s tanks, a source said A shipment of 38 US-made M1A2T Abrams tanks — part of a military procurement package from the US — arrived at the Port of Taipei early yesterday. The vehicles are the first batch of 108 tanks and other items that then-US president Donald Trump announced for Taiwan in 2019. The Ministry of National Defense at the time allocated NT$40.5 billion (US$1.25 billion) for the purchase. To accommodate the arrival of the tanks, the port suspended the use of all terminals and storage area machinery from 6pm last night until 7am this morning. The tanks are expected to be deployed at the army’s training
TECH CONFERENCE: Input from industry and academic experts can contribute to future policymaking across government agencies, President William Lai said Multifunctional service robots could be the next new area in which Taiwan could play a significant role, given its strengths in chip manufacturing and software design, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) chairman and chief executive C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said yesterday. “In the past two months, our customers shared a lot of their future plans with me. Artificial intelligence [AI] and AI applications were the most talked about subjects in our conversation,” Wei said in a speech at the National Science and Technology Conference in Taipei. TSMC, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, counts Nvidia Corp, Advanced Micro Devices Inc, Apple Inc and
PEACEFUL RESOLUTION: A statement issued following a meeting between Australia and Britain reiterated support for Taiwan and opposition to change in the Taiwan Strait Canada should support the peaceful resolution of Taiwan’s destiny according to the will of Taiwanese, Canadian lawmakers said in a resolution marking the second anniversary of that nation’s Indo-Pacific strategy on Monday. The Canadian House of Commons committee on Canada-Chinese relations made the comment as part of 34 recommendations for the new edition of the strategy, adding that Ottawa should back Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, first published in October 2022, emphasized that the region’s security, trade, human rights, democracy and environmental protection would play a crucial role in shaping Canada’s future. The strategy called for Canada to deepen
RSS