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.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of