In the wake of China's offer on Tuesday to allow more people to visit Taiwan, the National Security Bureau (NSB) yesterday expressed concern about the the security implications of a possible influx of Chinese tourists.
"The bureau is assessing the security impact of the easing of the travel ban on Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan, and will offer an evaluation to the government soon," NSB Deputy Director Wang Chin-wang (
Nonetheless, Wang told the legislature, the move would definitely have some impact on Taiwan's national security.
He said that an influx of illegal immigrants from China would contribute to domestic security problems.
Wang said that the bureau was also concerned about the possibility of espionage by visitors from China.
In response to a question about China's offer of a pair of pandas, Wang said that Taiwan and China are still adversities, so Beijing's offer could be seen as part of Beijing's "united front" approach to win the hearts of the Taiwanese people.
As for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (
"NSB Director-General Hsueh Shih-ming (
Cabinet Spokesman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday that the government was willing to negotiate with Beijing about a relaxation of travel restrictions and reducing tariffs and restrictions on the export of Taiwanese fruit to China, but that Beijing should demonstrate its willingness to tighten security in these cross-strait exchanges.
Cho said that China should screen travelers before they leave the country, to help Taiwan send back those who overstay and to regulate travel disputes. Only then will Taiwan discuss allowing more visitors from China.
Cho said that, because Taiwan and China are both World Trade Organization (WTO) members, any negotiations on agricultural products and tourism would best be conducted under the auspices of the WTO.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) put Taiwan in danger, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday, hours after the de facto US embassy said that Beijing had misinterpreted World War II-era documents to isolate Taiwan. The AIT’s comments harmed the Republic of China’s (ROC) national interests and contradicted a part of the “six assurances” stipulating that the US would not change its official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsiao said. The “six assurances,” which were given by then-US president Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, say that Washington would not set a date for ending arm sales to Taiwan, consult
A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
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