The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) has determined that Taiwanese working as assistants to community directors in China have breached the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例).
At the 10th Straits Forum in Xiamen, China, in June, 35 young Taiwanese took jobs as assistants to community directors in Xiamen’s Haicang District.
A notice published by the district government’s civil affairs bureau said that the position was open to Taiwanese aged 45 or younger who have a college degree and support the so-called “1992 consensus,” as well as the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and the reinvigoration of the Zhonghua minzu (中華民族, “Chinese ethnic group”).
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
Those selected would earn 150,000 yuan (US$21,803) per year and would be in charge of village planning, collecting information about villages’ histories and gauging public opinion, as well as promoting Chinese culture, the notice said.
Xiamen University has also been looking for Taiwanese students and graduates to fill five internships as assistants to community directors, saying that they would receive an internship subsidy of 1,980 yuan and a housing subsidy of 500 yuan per month.
Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥) earlier this week said that the ministry had convened an interministerial meeting to discuss the employment of Taiwanese as assistants to community directors in Xiamen.
“Based on the legal interpretations of concerned government agencies, the post is categorized by China’s government structural regulations as being part of a local government. It is similar to the position of district clerk in Taiwan and as such has been deemed a position within the Chinese administration,” Chen said.
Article 33 of the act prohibits Taiwanese from taking up posts in Chinese government of military institutions, or becoming a member of any Chinese party.
The government has discovered 33 Taiwanese who have taken up the role and has sent them a questionnaire regarding their position, Chen said.
Some have returned the questionnaire, but the ministry was still waiting for a response from the rest, he said.
Asked whether the 33 would face a fine of between NT$100,000 and NT$500,000 for contravening the act, Chen said that as the Haicang District government used a travel agency it funded to sign their employment contracts, they might not have been aware of the nature of the positions they were hired to fill.
The ministry would try to handle the matter in a more appropriate manner, he added.
The Mainland Affairs Council said that as the employment situation differs between individuals, the government has been conducting an administrative investigation to obtain a better understanding of the matter.
The movement of talent across the Taiwan Strait has become an inevitable trend, the council said, adding that the government understands that many people might accidentally break the law due to information asymmetry.
However, it is the government’s responsibility to remind such people of the nature of their position to prevent them from breaking the law, the council said.
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is
RSS