A top national security official yesterday said the government should restrict Chinese investment in domestic information and communications infrastructure concerning national security.
“Even the high-tech US placed restrictions on Huawei [China’s Huawei Technologies Co] and so based on national security, the National Security Bureau supports placing some kind of restrictions and limitations on Chinese investment in key information and communications infrastructure,” National Security Bureau (NSB) Director Tsai Der-sheng (蔡得勝) said as he answered questions from legislators at a Foreign and National Defense Committee meeting.
Tsai added that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has never eased its hostility to Taiwan.
“If Taiwan wants to develop economic exchanges with China, it should be capable of controlling them,” he said.
The committee passed a resolution in the meeting, announcing that now that several countries, including Canada, the Netherlands, Australia and India, have either barred Chinese companies from investing or are applying strict standards in their reviews of projects involving Chinese companies, the bureau should work with the Ministry of National Defense (MND) and other government bureaus to provide a report to the legislature before May on restrictions for Chinese companies investment, adding that the report should be a comprehensive evaluation that would guide policy.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) asked whether telecommunications systems used by the bureau could be compromised by Chinese telecommunications companies, such as Huawei.
Tsai said he believed national security officials should be banned from using cellphones in sensitive meetings or occasions. The bureau adopts a confidential cellphone system that was developed by the bureau and Acer Inc. The system has several security functions that could ensure communications were not compromised, the official added.
A US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee report earlier this month said that, due to security concerns, Huawei and ZTE should be blocked from mergers, takeovers and acquisitions in the US and advised US entities against doing businesses with the companies.
Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) then said that despite the US warning, Taiwan was considering opening Type I telecommunications enterprises to Chinese investment.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS