Legal experts yesterday called for legislation that would appropriately counter Beijing's "Anti-Secession" Law on a statutory front.
While the Anti-Secession Law has been dealt with extensively from diplomatic and political perspectives since its passage last Monday, little has been said of its legal nature, Chen Hwei-syin (
"There is a move from traditional warfare toward a legal battle between Taiwan and China," Chen said.
Tsai Tzung-Jen (
"The law itself is not a missile, but it can be like packaging for tomorrow's missiles," Tsai said. She said that the legislature should take this "golden opportunity" to turn the game around by passing appropriate legislation.
Chen agreed, saying that lawmakers should amend the legal stipulations that create ambiguity about Taiwan's legal status.
"Our stance on Taiwan's status needs to be made clear. Either we go the route that independence supporters want, or we make changes to the Constitution and its prologue, or we just make minor adjustments to the word choice of some laws," National Taiwan University Law professor Yen Chueh-an (顏厥安) said, explaining that China's law could effectively change the nation's legal status.
Tsai said that China's authorization of "non-peaceful" means against Taiwan was a mistake.
"It's a big contradiction. The authorization of the use of force should not be in this law. China uses force to put down domestic riots all the time. If there is need of a law to authorize the use of force against Taiwan, it indicates that the legality of this force comes from somewhere else," Tsai said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Cho-shui (
"They did not need a law authorizing the use of force before," Lin said.
Chang Wen-chen (張文貞), a law professor at National Taiwan University, examined Beijing's treatment of secession rights, noting that, legally speaking, there should not be any dispute over secession rights between Taiwan and China.
"Since Taiwan is not a part of China, de facto or de jure, there is no problem concerning secession rights," she said.
Chang said that there was a move internationally toward the protection of secession rights and that several nations have already ensconced secession rights in their constitutions.
"Several African nations, including Ethiopia, have placed the right to secede into their new constitutions," Chang said, adding that the former USSR was the first nation to make legal allowances for secession.
Chen Chao-ju (
"China's use of `non-peaceful means' instead of `military force' in the bill has brought praise from some sectors, but in a way this new term actually better describes the situation. It is more than just military force, it is also a linguistic and psychological attack," Chen said, pointing to the definition of violence in feminist theory as more than just a physical attack.
"Violence doesn't have to be just physical ... China's violence takes many forms, but remember, the ultimate motive remains unchanged," Chen said.
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
RSS