China should not allow its regional officials to oppress and extort money from Taiwanese businesspeople, and the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) should have prevention schemes and rescue channels in place, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker said yesterday.
DPP Legislator Chang Ching-fang (
"Some Chinese regional officials have falsely accused certain businessmen of tax evasion or smuggling, and arrested them. Then the officials would demand a huge amount of ransom from the businessmen's family or company, as well as documents that prove the businessmen's support for the pan-blue camp," Chang said.
Chang said the Chinese government should not allow regional officials to suppress and extort money from Taiwanese businesspeople, and that the MAC should prepare prevention schemes and rescue channels to protect businesspeople's safety.
Chang also played a tape of a telephone recording in which a Taiwanese businessman told Chang that his company's general manager was arrested for smuggling, whereupon Chinese officials asked for a ransom of NT$8 million and an election-ballot receipt as proof that the man voted for the Lien-Soong ticket in Taiwan's presidential election.
The businessman then explained to the officials there was no such a thing as a ballot receipt in Taiwan.
The official replied that it would be fine just to hand over the money. After some bargaining, the two sides agreed on a NT$6.5 million ransom.
The businessman said that the officials told him to pay the money in Hong Kong and after the money was handed over, the general manager was finally released.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei County Councilor Wang Jing-yuan (
The businessman said that the Chinese officials demanded a ransom of NT$4 million and demanded to see a certificate from the pan-blue campaign headquarters as proof of the partner's councilor status.
Wang said that the ransom was paid last weekend, but the partner's release was still being negotiated.
Both Chang and Wang said that protecting Taiwanese businesspeople's rights in China is an important issue for both the pan-blue camp and the pan-green camp, and they asked the MAC to protest and voice its concern to China.
"On the one hand, China says that it will take care of Taiwanese businessmen in China, but on the other hand, it still allows regional officials to bully the businessmen. If this continues, more and more Taiwanese businessmen will refrain from investing in China, and lose faith in China," Chang said.
Also see story:
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft