One-quarter of the Chinese who visited Taiwan as foreign professionals last year have connections to political or government agencies and traveled to Taiwan to bolster Beijing’s “united front” tactics, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said.
More than 183,000 Chinese visited on professional exchange permits, with 47,880, or 26 percent, having political or government backgrounds, Chen said, citing National Immigration Agency data.
Chen said that the number might be higher, as Chinese tourists reportedly often conceal their identities.
Chen referred to Wu Xin (吳昕), who purported to be a private citizen on an entry application, but was found to be an economic official in China’s Fujian Province.
Wu gained notoriety after entering a restricted room at a Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) building and posting photographs online in October last year.
The agency said that Chinese with ties to official agencies must state that on their visa applications, adding that those who fail to do so would be barred from entering Taiwan — as Wu has been.
Chinese executives or “sensitive” Chinese citizens must obtain the approval of a joint review committee formed by the agency, the National Security Bureau, Mainland Affairs Council and other institutions, the agency said.
About 54 percent of those with political or government backgrounds, or 25,861, were of that nature last year, it added.
Chen said that visits by Chinese officials are aimed at bolstering the united front strategy, as Chinese officials have attempted to curry the favor of Taiwanese with large orders of agricultural products and other tactics.
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration “opens the door, but fails to maintain security,” as the visa approval rate for Chinese applicants has reached about 90 percent and Chinese officials can easily conceal their identity and enter Taiwan, Chen said.
“We really are surrounded by Chinese spies,” he said.
It is easy for Chinese officials to hide their identities, as the visa system requires applicants to file an online request that the agency must review within 48 hours, preventing background checks on applicants.
The agency has “connived” with Chinese officials, allowing a meeting between Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji (陳保基) and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits Deputy Chairman Zheng Lizhong (鄭立中) in October last year and another between Chen Bao-ji and China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Deputy Director Gong Qinggai (龔清概) in August last year, for which the agency has taken no disciplinary action, Chen said.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
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