Chinese nationalists who have advocated for the use of military force against Taiwan should be barred from entering the nation when necessary, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
Those who have promoted applying China’s “one country, two systems” framework to Taiwan or have called for China to intimidate Taiwanese should also be barred from entry when necessary, Tsai said after meeting with Ministry of National Defense and Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) officials at a routine national security meeting.
The instruction followed the deportation last week of Chinese academic Li Yi (李毅), who was scheduled to speak at a pro-unification seminar held by the Chinese Unity Promotion Party (CUPP).
Photo: Lin Ching-lun, Taipei Times
Li had previously advocated for Chinese military action to force Taiwan’s unification with China.
Local media last week reported that members of a group advocating Chinese military action to annex Taiwan were planning to visit the nation and take part in political activities later this month.
The group was reportedly to include the head of the Beijing-based Modern Think-tank Forum, Li Su (李肅); US-based Chinese democracy advocate Wang Xizhe (王希哲); US-based China studies academics Feng Shengping (馮勝平) and Guo Yanhua (郭岩華); and Li Yi.
Reports said that the group was planning to hold seminars on unification with CUPP members and other unification advocates.
The MAC on Tuesday said in a statement that it would sometimes be necessary to bar entry into Taiwan of those who advocate the “one country, two systems” framework or a Chinese People’s Liberation Army attack on the nation, or who would otherwise cause social instability or threaten national security.
“We do not welcome those who do not respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan, and who would come to Taiwan to push Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) ‘five points’ or applying the ‘one country, two systems’ framework to Taiwan,” the council said, adding that the government would be strict in dealing with those who advocate military action against Taiwan.
It is also strongly against those who come to Taiwan to promote pro-unification activities that jeopardize national security and social stability, the council said.
The MAC also warned Taiwanese against promoting Chinese military action against the nation, and advised them to have the nation’s best interests in mind.
Taiwan is a nation with freedom, democracy and the rule of law, and the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, but advocating war and promoting forceful unification violate the universal value of peace, as well as civil and political rights, it added.
The MAC also reminded certain groups in Taiwan to respect national interests and not take part in or organize activities that promote unification by force.
Everyone should work together to help defend the nation’s sovereignty and democratic way of life, it said.
Additional reporting by CNA
GEOPOLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The CGA’s nonmilitary role makes it a tool to avert diplomatic issues, an official said, while confirming the donation of a ship to Manila Coast Guard Administration (CGA) ships are scheduled to sail to the Philippines bearing the words “Taiwan Coast Guard” in a high-profile visit in October next year, the first such visit by a Taiwanese maritime law enforcement vessel to the Southeast Asian nation, the agency said yesterday. The CGA also confirmed that it had donated one of its decommissioned patrol vessels to the Philippines in a rare transfer of a retired ship to a nondiplomatic ally. The Republic of China (ROC) Navy last made such a visit in 1974, shortly before the Philippines switched diplomatic recognition to the People’s Republic of China in
‘GLOBAL WARNING’: The infiltration is not just a local problem, as Beijing has been deploying the same tactics worldwide against Western democracies, a report said Between 50,000 and 100,000 Chinese spies are operating in Taiwan, far more than the National Security Bureau’s previous estimate of 5,000, German journalist and author Jurgen Kremb said on Monday. Kremb presented his research, titled “The War of Spies: How China’s Intelligence Services Are Infiltrating Taiwan — and What Europe Must Learn from It,” at a joint event held by the Taiwan offices of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and the European Values Center for Security Policy. The report was published in June in the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau’s Prospect & Exploration Monthly (展望與探索月刊). By spies, he said he was referring to informants,
CALL FOR CHANGE: They urged the UN to facilitate Taiwan’s involvement in the body, recognize its peace efforts and to work with members in preventing military conflict Representatives to the UN from five of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies sent a joint letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday, calling for the country’s inclusion in the body. Allies in the letter sent ahead of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly General Debate made three demands in support of Taiwan: inclusion, recognition and camaraderie. They implored the UN to seek an appropriate way to facilitate Taiwan’s meaningful involvement in the world governing body, saying that UN Resolution 2758, which accepted the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a member of the UN, does not exclude Taiwan. Beijing claims that the
WASHINGTON MEETING: Japan’s Hirofumi Takinami said participants rejected the idea that the US should limit its defensive perimeter to the Second Island Chain US and Japanese lawmakers agree that the US must defend the First Island Chain, including Taiwan, and should not fall back to the Second Island Chain, while “a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency and therefore a US-Japan alliance contingency,” media reported after a meeting between officials of the two nations in Washington on Tuesday. A delegation of Japanese lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party met with US Senator Thom Tillis, co-chair of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, and US Representative Ami Bera, co-chair of the US Congressional Taiwan caucus, to discuss issues concerning East Asia and the Taiwan Strait. The Japanese and
RSS