The Legislative Yuan is to prioritize review of proposed amendments to four laws during its next session to strengthen Taiwan’s “democracy defense mechanism,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday, after reports that more than 20 Taiwanese online media outlets shared an article criticizing President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) that had been published by a Web site managed by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
The “China Taiwan Site” on Tuesday published an article by a reader saying that given how the Tsai administration had “removed” National Taiwan University (NTU) president-elect Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔) in such a “poor” and “overbearing” manner, the public would easily remove Tsai next year to end the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) foolish behavior.
The article was republished by Fingermedia (指傳媒), Asia Media (亞傳媒) and Taiwan Diginews (民生報導), among other local outlets.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
China has been using “sharp power” in the past few years to infiltrate and divide democratic societies, while the US, Australia and other nations have drafted anti-infiltration and anti-foreign agent laws, among others, in a bid to resist infiltration and division by foreign forces, Chiu said.
After Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) proposed his “five points” in January, the strength of China’s “united front” and infiltration efforts toward Taiwan have been increased, he said.
Taiwan’s democratic, free and open society has been used to confuse and divide the public and destroy the nation’s political order, he added.
As Taiwan is on the front lines facing the threat of China’s “sharp power,” to respond to China’s new “united front” tactics aimed at “eliminating Taiwan,” there is a “legitimate and necessary” rationale to push for laws and regulations that would bar Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agents and related activities, he said.
The Lobbying Act (遊說法), the Political Donations Act (政治獻金法) and the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) prohibit China from engaging in such activities, but there are no laws regulating such illegal activities performed through “agents,” he said.
The DPP caucus has proposed amendments to 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) to address the issue of CCP agents.
The New Power Party’s legislative caucus and others have also proposed draft amendments to address foreign infiltration.
Among the laws targeted for amendment are the Radio and Television Act (廣播電視法), the Cable Radio and Television Act (有線廣播電視法) and the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法), Chiu said.
The council would cooperate with the DPP’s proposed amendments, and it would also support incorporating covering foreign agents into other laws, he added.
The Executive Yuan and the Legislative Yuan would work together to push for legal, constitutional and feasible bills, he said.
As part of the process of drafting proposed amendments, the government would listen to the opinions of academics, experts and other members of society to ensure the normal functioning of the nation’s free and democratic constitutional system and its social economy; defend national sovereignty and security; and protect the people’s basic rights.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by