The Prosecutors' Office of the Taiwan High Court has launched an investigation into Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun's (江炳坤) visit to China, during which he reached a 10-point agreement with Beijing officials, Prosecutor-General Wu Ying-chao (吳英昭) said yesterday.
"It is a criminal case, and politics should be involved," Wu told the legislature.
"Prosecutor Chu Chia-chi (
Minister of Justice Morley Shih (
An oral agreement in which a consensus is reached with a foreign country might constitute a violation of Article 113 of the Criminal Code, Shih said.
He said that, according to the law, an unauthorized person who secretly agrees with a foreign government or its agent on matters requiring the authorization of the government may be sent to jail for a minimum of seven years. The maximum sentence is life imprisonment.
Vice Minister of Justice Tang Jinn-chuan (
"According to Taiwan's current Constitution, Taiwan is a sovereign state, and China is another sovereign state. That makes China a foreign country," he said.
At the legislative session, People First Party Legislator Chou Hsi-wei (
"Prosecutors are investigating Chiang because he is the KMT's vice chairman. Politics must be involved," Chou said.
KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (
Wu replied that the law does not prohibit cross-strait agreements that have nothing to do with the government or politics.
Chu said yesterday that he is gathering information from several sources.
"It will take some time before I decide whether I will summon Chiang for questioning," he said.
Prosecutors began their investigation after Tainan City Councilor Siew Po-jen (
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and