Beijing is engaging with Taiwanese legislators in a bid to foster a policy of cooperation with China, National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday.
Exiled Chinese writer Yuan Hongbing (袁紅冰) first suggested in February that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would engage with legislators from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Tsai yesterday confirmed this to be the case, saying that the CCP was communicating with legislators, community representatives and members of non-governmental groups.
Photo: CNA
Tsai made the comments during a meeting at the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Mei-ling (羅美玲) asked Tsai whether the National Security Bureau had looked into the concerns expressed by Yuan in February.
“The bureau investigates all social and political issues in Taiwan that relate to the CCP,” Tsai said.
The bureau noticed a growing tendency of the CCP to seek strengthened exchanges with people from different segments of Taiwanese society including central and local public representatives, and members of associations, and religious, cultural and business groups, among others, he said.
“During that communication process, the CCP emphasizes common ground and downplays differences,” he said. “In particular, in communicating with legislators it pushes for policies that favor cooperation with China.”
The CCP increased exchanges with KMT and TPP legislators after the two parties gained seats in the legislature following the Jan. 13 elections, he said, adding that the bureau is keeping abreast of developments.
Responding to a question by DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋), Tsai said the growing number of Taiwanese artists and performers working in China who express opposition to Taiwanese independence was due to CCP coercion.
The CCP requires Taiwanese working in China to sign consent forms agreeing to push a unification agenda, and threatening tax audits and other actions if they do not agree, he said.
“One thing that the CCP often does is to demand artists or management companies sign forms saying they agree with the ‘1992 consensus,’ and that there is only one China,” he said.
The so-called “1992 consensus” — a term that former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the CCP that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
“They also must agree that during performances they would not criticize China’s political system or comment negatively on social issues in China,” he said.
The CCP also puts artificial limits on the number of attendees allowed at concerts held by Taiwanese artists in China, citing safety reasons, he said.
Shen said that the opacity of China’s interactions with Taiwanese artists made it impossible to distinguish who was being coerced and who was voluntarily adhering to the CCP’s demands.
“It would not be appropriate for the bureau to comment on individual cases or artists, but what we can say is that anyone going to China is susceptible to such coercion,” Shen said. “Therefore, we would advise caution to anyone planning to work or study in China.”
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