The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday criticized the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) opposition of its anti-infiltration bill, saying that the pan-blue camp’s stance on the issue runs against the international community’s mainstream consensus.
It has been well-established in Taiwan, as well as in the international community, that there is a need to protect democracy from infiltration by authoritarian powers, DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) told a news conference in Taipei.
However, the KMT has been opposing the DPP’s efforts to counter Chinese infiltration, he said.
Photo: CNA
While the DPP and the New Power Party have proposed three versions of anti-infiltration legislation since May, the KMT has not contributed any, Lin said.
If the KMT considers it important to fight infiltration, it should submit its own version, he said.
Retired lieutenant general Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷), who is on the KMT’s list of legislator-at-large nominees, would have access to confidential national security information if the KMT garners more than 1.5 million votes in the Jan. 11 legislative election, he added.
Wu sparked controversy in 2016, when he attended a speech in Beijing by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and stood for a rendition of the Chinese national anthem.
The legislation would provide important protection for Taiwan’s democracy and would require support from all legislators across party lines, Lin said.
At planned cross-caucus negotiations, the DPP is to drop its proposal for the Legislative Yuan to enter a recess from Dec. 18, because a break could postpone reviews of the legislation if the KMT votes against it in today’s legislative session, DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said.
The DPP plans to propose at today’s session a second reading of its version of the legislation without going through committee review, she said.
Earlier yesterday, the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee held a public hearing on the legislation.
National Policy Foundation adviser Charles Chen (陳以信), who is also on the KMT’s list of legislator-at-large nominees, said at the hearing that the DPP was attempting to force through its version of the bill.
As the Executive Yuan would be responsible for implementing the legislation if it becomes law, it should offer its opinion on the bill or submit its own version, he said.
KMT Central Policy Committee deputy director Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said that the DPP’s version of the bill might infringe upon human rights and freedom of the press.
It is inappropriate for the ruling party to propose such a controversial law shortly before it could be voted out of power, he said.
Expedited passage of legislation does not mean the process was reckless, Chien Hsin University of Science and Technology Department of Business Administration professor Yen Chien-fa (顏建發) said, adding: “It is the content that matters.”
The bills address an urgent need to resist China’s interference in Taiwan’s elections, he said.
While they might not be perfect, it is important that the government have legislation in place to make people feel safe, he added.
ENDEAVOR MANTA: The ship is programmed to automatically return to its designated home port and would self-destruct if seized by another party The Endeavor Manta, Taiwan’s first military-specification uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) tailor-made to operate in the Taiwan Strait in a bid to bolster the nation’s asymmetric combat capabilities made its first appearance at Kaohsiung’s Singda Harbor yesterday. Taking inspiration from Ukraine’s navy, which is using USVs to force Russia’s Black Sea fleet to take shelter within its own ports, CSBC Taiwan (台灣國際造船) established a research and development unit on USVs last year, CSBC chairman Huang Cheng-hung (黃正弘) said. With the exception of the satellite guidance system and the outboard motors — which were purchased from foreign companies that were not affiliated with Chinese-funded
PERMIT REVOKED: The influencer at a news conference said the National Immigration Agency was infringing on human rights and persecuting Chinese spouses Chinese influencer “Yaya in Taiwan” (亞亞在台灣) yesterday evening voluntarily left Taiwan, despite saying yesterday morning that she had “no intention” of leaving after her residence permit was revoked over her comments on Taiwan being “unified” with China by military force. The Ministry of the Interior yesterday had said that it could forcibly deport the influencer at midnight, but was considering taking a more flexible approach and beginning procedures this morning. The influencer, whose given name is Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), departed on a 8:45pm flight from Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) to Fuzhou, China. Liu held a news conference at the airport at 7pm,
Authorities yesterday elaborated on the rules governing Employment Gold Cards after a US cardholder was barred from entering Taiwan for six years after working without a permit during a 2023 visit. American YouTuber LeLe Farley was barred after already being approved for an Employment Gold Card, he said in a video published on his channel on Saturday. Farley, who has more than 420,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, was approved for his Gold Card last month, but was told at a check-in counter at the Los Angeles International Airport that he could not enter Taiwan. That was because he previously participated in two
SECURITY RISK: If there is a conflict between China and Taiwan, ‘there would likely be significant consequences to global economic and security interests,’ it said China remains the top military and cyber threat to the US and continues to make progress on capabilities to seize Taiwan, a report by US intelligence agencies said on Tuesday. The report provides an overview of the “collective insights” of top US intelligence agencies about the security threats to the US posed by foreign nations and criminal organizations. In its Annual Threat Assessment, the agencies divided threats facing the US into two broad categories, “nonstate transnational criminals and terrorists” and “major state actors,” with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea named. Of those countries, “China presents the most comprehensive and robust military threat
RSS