The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday it would re-examine government policy on officials attending events such as today’s celebrations marking 60 years of communist rule in China.
MAC Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) said there was no law against someone like Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Vice Chairman Rock Hsu (許勝雄), who is also chairman of the Kinpo Group, attending the celebrations.
Lai said she was informed that Hsu was in China, but added that the council did not know whether Hsu would attend the event.
“But we don’t encourage it,” Lai said. “He must take public perceptions into consideration.”
MAC Deputy Minister Chao Chien-min (趙建民) said the council would nevertheless look into the matter if any SEF official were to attend the celebrations.
In any event, Chao said, the council would set clear guidelines for similar situations.
Because Hsu is not visiting China in an official capacity, the council was in no position to make any demands or issue a reprimand upon his return, he said.
However, Chao said, Hsu “should think twice about engaging in any political activity.”
Chao said that since the SEF is a semi-official institution and Hsu is also chairman of a private company, it was not necessary for him to inform the council of his schedule in advance, nor was the council in any position to inquire about it.
Meanwhile, Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) yesterday told members of the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee that no retired generals from Taiwan would participate in China’s National Day activities.
In related news, Lai yesterday confirmed that MAC Deputy Minister Fu Dong-cheng (傅棟成) would resign and leave the civil service for personal reasons.
Lai said although she would very much like Fu to stay, he had decided to leave.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JIMMY CHUANG
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