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MAC mulls amnesty for illegal investment in PRC

"Basically the government will follow precedent in granting the amnesty."

Chen Ming-tong, MAC chairman

The government is considering granting amnesty to Taiwanese businesspeople who have violated limits on investment in China, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Chen Chin-jun (陳景峻) told reporters yesterday.

The amnesty would not include businesspeople who have invested in industries that are restricted from investment.

Officials with the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and Ministry of Economic Affairs held a meeting to discuss details of the plan yesterday.

MAC Chairman Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) declined to discuss a timetable for implementing the plan, saying that the council would adopt an active approach to implementing the policy.

Chen Chin-jun's remarks were made in the wake of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) address on Tuesday to members of six big industry and commerce associations. He said he would instruct the Executive Yuan to draw up an amnesty.

"Basically the government will follow precedent in granting the amnesty," Chen Chin-jun said, referring to the amnesties granted to businesspeople in 1993, 1997 and 2002.

In the previous amnesties, businesspeople who invested illegally in China were granted a period of grace to register their ventures with the authorities or risk further penalties that are stipulated in amendments to the Statute Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例).

Those who invested in barred industries were not included in previous amnesties.

Chen Ming-tong said that between 20,000 and 30,000 Taiwanese businesspeople were included in the previous amnesties.
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