The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) could be in violation of stipulations that prohibit engaging in cross-strait negotiations or agreements without government authorization, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.
The Council slammed a recent meeting between a KMT delegation and Chinese officials in Beijing, saying that public condemnation of the trip would be the KMT's severest punishment. But officials said they are not ruling out the possibility of legal action against the members of the delegation.
Outgoing Council Vice Chairman Chiu Tai-san (
The act also stipulates that violators can be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison or a minimum fine of NT$200,000 and a maximum of NT$2 million.
The 30-member KMT delegation, led by party Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun (江丙坤), hammered out a ten-point agreement on trade, travel and commercial ties with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) representatives on Wednesday. The agreement comes at a sensitive juncture in cross-strait relations, with Beijing's recent passage of its "Anti-Secession" Law and a subsequent rally in Taipei protesting the legislation.
Chiu said that whether or not legal action would be taken against the KMT delegation would be decided after the group returned to Taiwan with details about the content and nature of the agreement.
The KMT's trip has been touted as the first contact between the former foes in over 50 years, and is seen as an indication of reconciliation between the two parties.
The KMT fled to Taiwan after being defeated by the CCP during the Civil War.
The delegation was given a high profile reception by high-level Chinese officials, including director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council Chen Yunlin (
However, the merrymaking in Beijing caused anger in Taipei, with the government warning that in addition to violating laws governing cross-strait negotiations, the KMT delegation could be in breach of constitutional separation of powers.
"As a general principle, we don't comment on non-governmental interaction across the Strait, but the KMT's trip is in violation of the workings of democratic governance," Chiu said, adding that the distinct roles of the legislative and executive branches had to be respected.
"The legislative branch should not take on the executive branch's duties," Chiu said. "This clearly violates the system of governance stipulated in our Constitution."
In light of the recent surge of interest in visiting China, the MAC said again in a statement yesterday that Beijing's Anti-Secession Law was adopted unilaterally, and as such had angered the Taiwanese and resulted in international criticism.
Following Chiang's trip to China, several political figures have also indicated a desire to meet with the Chinese authorities. Plans for KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
The KMT also expects to send another delegation to Beijing towards the end of the month to discuss cross-strait charter flights and agricultural exports. PFP Legislator and Tainan County Farmers' Association chairman Tsai Sheng-chia (蔡勝佳) also has plans to visit China in coming weeks. KMT Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) also said he would like to invite Wu Bangguo (吳邦國), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, to Taiwan.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
GREATER REACH? Auto parts and wood products would face tariffs of up to 15%, matching those targeting the EU, Japan and South Korea, Vice Premier said The US has announced that preferential tariff treatment for Taiwan’s non-semiconductor Section 232 goods would take effect retroactively from May 1, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The US government yesterday posted a notice on the Federal Register’s public inspection Web site previewing tariff concessions for Taiwan under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Taiwan-US investment after two months of negotiations. The MOU signed on Jan. 15 stipulated three major preferential tariff arrangements: a 15 percent “reciprocal” tariff rate for Taiwan without stacking most-favored nation (MFN) rates; preferential Section 232 treatment for semiconductors and related products; and preferential Section 232 treatment for non-semiconductor
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
RSS