The Executive Yuan and the Mainland Affairs Council should look into recent actions taken by the Lienchiang County (Matsu) Government to ensure they do not align with China’s “united front” rhetoric, the Control Yuan said yesterday.
A Control Yuan investigation overseen by member Lin Wen-cheng (林文程) highlighted how the county government’s directive to all townships to promote and assist residents in applying for a Fujian-Matsu city pass could aid and abet Chinese “united front” rhetoric.
The card, unveiled in February last year by China’s Fujian Provincial Government, is preloaded with 300 yuan (US$41.07) and aims to encourage Lienchiang residents to travel to Fujian to purchase daily necessities, drawing them economically and socially closer to the Chinese province.
Photo: Lin Che-yuan, Taipei Times
It was evident that the county government lacked sufficient understanding of 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) and that its officials should be better trained, Lin said.
The geographic proximity of Lienchiang County to China should make it more alert to Beijing’s “united front” tactics, he said.
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) desire to take over Taiwan has never abated, and it is considered “the enemy,” as per the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法) and the Anti-infiltration Act (反滲透法), he added.
The pass is a thinly veiled attempt to collect personal information from county residents, he said, adding that the county government has not only failed to implement safeguards, but is actively undermining the safeguards.
County officials’ casual dismissal of concerns regarding the program’s pro-unification and “united front” rhetoric poses a national security concern and should be addressed, Lin said.
The lack of transparency surrounding key details of the pass, including which organization is responsible for its issuance and where it is valid, demonstrates a cavalier attitude, he said.
The report also cited a glaring absence of documented communications between the Lienchiang and Fujian governments due to the use of WeChat for cross-strait exchanges.
The absence of documentation could hinder judicial efforts to determine accountability should disputes arise in the future, he said.
Lin urged the council to discourage Lienchiang County and other outlying island governments from participating in similar programs with China.
The council seems ill-informed about CCP attempts to foster pro-unification sentiment among the outlying islands, Lin said, adding that it should maintain closer communication with the Lienchiang and Kinmen county governments to uphold national sovereignty and dignity.
INVESTIGATION: The case is the latest instance of a DPP figure being implicated in an espionage network accused of allegedly leaking information to Chinese intelligence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑) was detained and held incommunicado yesterday on suspicion of spying for China during his tenure as assistant to then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮). The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said Ho was implicated during its investigation into alleged spying activities by former Presidential Office consultant Wu Shang-yu (吳尚雨). Prosecutors said there is reason to believe Ho breached the National Security Act (國家安全法) by leaking classified Ministry of Foreign Affairs information to Chinese intelligence. Following interrogation, prosecutors petitioned the Taipei District Court to detain Ho, citing concerns over potential collusion or tampering of evidence. The
‘FORM OF PROTEST’: The German Institute Taipei said it was ‘shocked’ to see Nazi symbolism used in connection with political aims as it condemned the incident Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 yesterday amid an outcry over a Nazi armband he wore to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case on Tuesday night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and apparently covering the book with a coat. This is a serious international scandal and Chinese
Seventy percent of middle and elementary schools now conduct English classes entirely in English, the Ministry of Education said, as it encourages schools nationwide to adopt this practice Minister of Education (MOE) Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) is scheduled to present a report on the government’s bilingual education policy to the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee today. The report would outline strategies aimed at expanding access to education, reducing regional disparities and improving talent cultivation. Implementation of bilingual education policies has varied across local governments, occasionally drawing public criticism. For example, some schools have required teachers of non-English subjects to pass English proficiency
TRADE: The premier pledged safeguards on ‘Made in Taiwan’ labeling, anti-dumping measures and stricter export controls to strengthen its position in trade talks Products labeled “made in Taiwan” must be genuinely made in Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, vowing to enforce strict safeguards against “origin laundering” and initiate anti-dumping investigations to prevent China dumping its products in Taiwan. Cho made the remarks in a discussion session with representatives from industries in Kaohsiung. In response to the US government’s recent announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on its trading partners, President William Lai (賴清德) and Cho last week began a series of consultations with industry leaders nationwide to gather feedback and address concerns. Taiwanese and US officials held a videoconference on Friday evening to discuss the
RSS