The Veteran Affairs Council yesterday released a pamphlet advising retired senior military officers to avoid attending official events in China or mingling with People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel.
“The Republic of China Army is the Republic of China Army, the PLA is the PLA,” the pamphlet said.
The Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee is to meet today to review the council’s budget for next year, amid controversy over the presence of several Taiwanese veterans at a recent event in Beijing hosted by the Chinese government. Some have speculated that the council’s release of the pamphlet yesterday might be aimed at calming sentiment ahead of today’s budget review.
A number of veterans earlier this month attended a commemorative event for Republic of China founding father Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) in Beijing and were seen on video standing for China’s national anthem and apparently listening intently to a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
The pamphlet called on veterans to avoid attending commemorative or celebratory events in China and asked them to show respect for the nation’s history.
“Veterans should be on guard when they receive such friendly invitations to attend events in China,” the pamphlet said, adding: “It is best to avoid attending.”
The council said that in attending cross-strait activities veterans should respect relevant ordinances, protect the nation’s safety and interests, and be vigilant in protecting classified national information.
It added that veterans must be particularly alert in the face of inappropriate requests from Chinese authorities.
Any questions leading to national security interests should be rebuffed, it said.
Veterans visiting China should seize the opportunity to promote democratic ideals and should act in a manner that fosters peaceful development of cross-strait relations, it said.
The council said that any time veterans attend official activities or academic seminars in China, it causes misunderstandings and doubts about their commitment to national defense.
“We sincerely hope that veterans can uphold the position of ‘putting Taiwan first and protecting people’s interests,’” it said. “What is important is maintaining the current peaceful state of relations ... and protecting the nation’s sovereignty.”
The council said those attending events in China as a group must agree upon a title they will be represented by and settle this with the Chinese side before the event, to prevent Beijing from seizing the opportunity to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty and national interests.
It is the veterans’ responsibility to preserve respect toward the nation, which includes a holistic understanding of history and protection of the position advocated by the nation’s Constitution, the council said.
The terminology normally used by veterans in referring to both sides of the Taiwan Strait is “the Taiwan area and the mainland area,” the council said, adding that veterans are prohibited from disgracing the nation’s government and leader, or making unauthorized agreements with Chinese authorities.
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