The Maritime and Port Bureau yesterday said it would step up inspections of heavy machinery and equipment for construction after lawmakers raised concerns that the use of China-made equipment could pose a security risk.
The government would conduct national security screening against Chinese-made cranes, and ensure that individuals and organizations using such machinery are removed from the eligibility list for subsidies, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators told a news conference earlier in the day.
The Executive Yuan’s Office of Homeland Security should be checking whether government agencies or critical infrastructure projects are using products, machinery, components and chips from banned areas, DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Government and critical infrastructure contracts should demand that all contractees provide proof and certification of components’ origins and safety of use, Chung said.
Chinese-made information technology (IT) equipment presents potential security risks and have become a medium through which Beijing collects information, DPP Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) said.
The Ministry of National Defense has banned all Chinese-made products, she said, suggesting that similar bans be implemented across public construction projects and state-owned businesses.
Lin also suggested that the Executive Yuan implement domestic IT security certifications to minimize the risk of outside forces breaking the IT security supply chain.
The government should publicize information about risky companies to better deter enemy forces’ attempts to hack into Taiwanese infrastructure, she added.
Meanwhile, Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) urged the Office of Homeland Security to explicitly ban China-made surveillance equipment and digital billboards, and set a clear timeline for implementing such bans.
Lai also called for the office to establish a certification center to desinicize the IT supply chain industry.
In response, the Executive Yuan’s Public Construction Commission said that labor provision and operation of machinery for construction projects at critical infrastructures or government agencies are controlled via government procurement.
The commission said it would work closely with the Office of Homeland Security to standardize contracts for all projects for government agencies and critical infrastructure.
Of the 431 bridge and gantry cranes in the country, 99 were made in China, the bureau said.
The bureau said it would step up the verification of machinery and software sources for operators. Although there is a reduced IT security risk as operating software is isolated and made by Japan, South Korea or Germany, the bureau has asked the Ministry of Digital Affairs for help and suggestions.
Third parties have been hired to complete audits of machinery used in Keelung and Kaohsiung harbors, the bureau added.
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