China’s “united front” efforts targeting Taiwan are ubiquitous, and include the employment of Internet celebrities to carry out infiltration campaigns on social media, members of the Mainland Affairs Council’s (MAC) Advisory Committee said yesterday.
The council released the minutes of a committee meeting on China’s “legal war” against Taiwan and possible response measures.
The “legal war” aims to unilaterally define jurisdiction over Taiwan to legitimize annexing the nation based on Beijing’s so-called “democratic negotiations,” while preparing to negate Taiwanese legislation, the minutes said.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
Committee members and academics who attended the meeting were not named in the minutes.
The National Security Law imposed by Beijing in Hong Kong is a model for China to draw up Taiwan-related regulations, the minutes said.
Globally, Beijing would continue to squeeze Taiwan’s international space and block the nation from joining international organizations as a sovereign state, they said.
On a civic level, Beijing aims to promote economic, social and cultural integration by linking identity documents for Taiwanese to China’s civic rights, it said.
To grasp the changes in China’s legislation related to Taiwan, the government should watch the implementation of Hong Kong’s National Security Law and the developments in the territory, the minutes said.
China’s legal war against Taiwan operates in tandem with other public opinion, psychological and diplomatic tactics, a committee member said.
Beijing has been employing Internet celebrities to wage “united front” and infiltration campaigns against Taiwan on video platforms or attack certain targets through social media, such as WeChat, in an attempt to circumvent legal regulations, the member said.
Taiwan should prepare countermeasures and share information with international partners to promote joint defense and security cooperation, the member added.
China’s legal war against Taiwan is ubiquitous, another committee member said, citing as examples Chinese People’s Liberation Army aircraft continuing to harass Taiwan and Beijing publicly denying the existence of the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
By rejecting the median line, Beijing is extending its dominion over Taiwan and unilaterally changing the cross-strait “status quo,” just as it enacted the National Security Law in Hong Kong and changed the territory’s “one country, two systems” framework, they said.
In addition to downgrading Taiwan’s international status, Beijing also purports to represent the nation’s interests in international disputes, as shown by its response to the arbitration of territorial disputes in the South China Sea, they said, adding that Taiwan should more actively express its objection to Beijing’s maneuvers.
Another committee member said that China has never abided by the rule of law, but only uses laws to achieve its political aims.
Beijing’s regulations about actual and claimed dominions are different, evidenced by the varied strength and flexibility of its National Security Law enacted in Hong Kong and its “Anti-Secession” Law targeting Taiwan, which deserves the nation’s unwavering attention, they said.
‘CROWN JEWEL’: Washington ‘can delay and deter’ Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plans for Taiwan, but it is ‘a very delicate situation there,’ the secretary of state said US President Donald Trump is opposed to any change to Taiwan’s “status quo” by force or extortion and would maintain that policy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Hugh Hewitt Show host on Wednesday. The US’ policy is to maintain Taiwan’s “status quo” and to oppose any changes in the situation by force or extortion, Rubio said. Hewitt asked Rubio about the significance of Trump earlier this month speaking with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) at the White House, a meeting that Hewitt described as a “big deal.” Asked whether the meeting was an indication of the
‘RELATIVELY STRONG LANGUAGE’: An expert said the state department has not softened its language on China and was ‘probably a little more Taiwan supportive’ China’s latest drills near Taiwan on Monday were “brazen and irresponsible threats,” a US Department of State spokesperson said on Tuesday, while reiterating Washington’s decades-long support of Taipei. “China cannot credibly claim to be a ‘force for stability in a turbulent world’ while issuing brazen and irresponsible threats toward Taiwan,” the unnamed spokesperson said in an e-mailed response to media queries. Washington’s enduring commitment to Taiwan will continue as it has for 45 years and the US “will continue to support Taiwan in the face of China’s military, economic, informational and diplomatic pressure campaign,” the e-mail said. “Alongside our international partners, we firmly
KAOHSIUNG CEREMONY: The contract chipmaker is planning to build 5 fabs in the southern city to gradually expand its 2-nanometer chip capacity Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday confirmed that it plans to hold a ceremony on March 31 to unveil a capacity expansion plan for its most advanced 2-nanometer chips in Kaohsiung, demonstrating its commitment to further investment at home. The ceremony is to be hosted by TSMC cochief operating officer Y.P. Chyn (秦永沛). It did not disclose whether Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and high-ranking government officials would attend the ceremony. More details are to be released next week, it said. The chipmaker’s latest move came after its announcement earlier this month of an additional US$100 billion
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
RSS