The Economic Democracy Union (EDU) yesterday proposed several measures to safeguard Taiwan’s economy, including preventing a Chinese blockade of Taiwan.
Aside from calling for working with the US to prevent a blockade in the Taiwan Strait, it also proposed collaborations with Washington on critical security infrastructure, restricting technology exports to China and joint reviews of investments, as well as a motion to ban Hon Hai Precision Industry Co from investing in Chinese company Tsinghua Unigroup, EDU researcher Ou Hsu-shao (歐栩韶) said.
These measures would prevent Taiwan from becoming a loophole for China to access advanced technologies, the EDU said.
Taiwan and the US should work together to conduct wargame scenarios on how Washington would assist Taipei in storing and obtaining materials necessary to produce semiconductors, guarantee a source of natural gas to secure power supply and provide basic material needs, the EDU said.
These are necessary, especially in light of China’s unprecedented military drills following the visit of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi early last month, which the EDU said was an attempt by Beijing to enforce an aerial and naval blockade on Taiwan, it said.
The US should also work with Taiwan in developing infrastructure, especially in Taiwan’s science parks, to prevent China from learning what goes on in the parks via Chinese-made surveillance cameras, the EDU said.
Media reports early this month said that Hsinchu Science Park had purchased China-made surveillance cameras, while 16 other cameras that appeared to be made entirely in Taiwan, contained Chinese components.
The reports said the cameras were installed on the main road of the science park.
EDU researcher Hsu Kuan-tse (許冠澤) said Taiwan should consider passing legislation similar to the US’ Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act to prevent Taiwan from becoming a technological loophole for China.
Hsu also called on Taiwan to work with the US on joint reviews for foreign investments to bar all Chinese-sourced investments from entering Taiwan, adding that Hon Hai’s investment in Tsinghua Unigroup should be banned.
The Investment Commission must be reformed and its ranks expanded to include experts in national security, prosecution, technology and combating money laundering, EDU convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said.
The two executive secretaries of the commission should be headed by officials from the National Security Bureau and the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau, he said.
The commission should have on-site prosecutors, as per the Financial Supervisory Commission, allowing the Investment Commission to launch investigations promptly should they discover criminal activity in the line of duty, Lai said.
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