A proposal from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) to restrict elected representatives from visiting China was on Tuesday blocked from being put on the discussion roster by the legislature’s Procedure Committee.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) also objected to the proposal and separately proposed prioritizing measures to allow Chinese tourists to visit Kinmen, Penghu and Lienchiang counties.
It is concerning that some would object to restricting travel to China by officials given the state of the cross-strait relationship, although it is expected from the KMT.
There has been a surge in activity around Taiwan by Chinese vessels and aircraft in the past few weeks, which analysts say is intended as a form of intimidation ahead of the inauguration of president-elect William Lai (賴清德) on May 20.
On Monday, four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed in prohibited waters near Kinmen County, with officials saying such incursions “endanger navigation safety.”
On Friday last week, the Ministry of National Defense reported that 17 Chinese aircraft had “crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern and central air defense identification zone.”
That follows a record-high single-day number of incursions reported on March 22, when the ministry said it had “detected 36 Chinese military aircraft and six naval ships operating around Taiwan” within a 24 hour period.
On Jan. 30, China announced that it would change its M503 flight route, bringing it closer to the median line of the Taiwan Strait. One military researcher at KMT-affiliated think tank the National Policy Foundation said the move would “squeeze the reaction time” of Taiwan’s military in the event of an attempted invasion by China’s military.
The KMT’s efforts to boost ties with China are understandable given that it has always seen Taiwan and China as part of a single China, which was the basis for the so-called “1992 consensus” between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
However, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) in January said during campaigning amid his presidential bid as the KMT’s candidate that, if elected, he would “not touch on the unification issue.”
That is fitting, given the results of a survey by the National Chengchi University Election Study Center published on Feb. 23, which showed that more than 80 percent of respondents wanted to maintain the “status quo” with China, while only 1.2 percent wanted unification as soon as possible.
China is clearly the aggressor and although Beijing would say it is only targeting the DPP and what it sees as “separatists,” that clearly means it is targeting ordinary Taiwanese, given that they elected Lai.
As a hostile power, China could easily be described as an enemy state, especially given that it has said unification is inevitable.
It is odd and concerning that the issue of banning travel to China by elected Taiwanese officials cannot even be discussed in the legislature. If for no other reason, a travel ban might curb instances of political, military and corporate espionage, which have become rampant.
Visits to China by elected officials represent a national security risk and there must be discussion on banning such travel.
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