A total of 19 Taiwanese hold official posts in China’s military, government or political parties, while another 112 Taiwanese hold sideline jobs in those Chinese agencies, but the government has punished only two people, government agencies said yesterday
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday first made the numbers public, while accusing the government of inaction.
DPP lawmakers Wang Ding-yu (王定宇), Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) and Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘) called a news conference yesterday to expose that national security agencies have known of 19 Taiwanese holding an official post at Chinese agencies since 2012.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
“Regrettably, since 2012, only two people have been punished according to the law,” Wang said, asking whether the government was attempting to protect those people.
The National Security Bureau in 2012 disclosed that 169 people were holding public office in China, but the number has shrunk to 19 according to Wang’s latest inquiries, he said, questioning the status of the other 150 people.
The bureau has not revealed the identity of the people because under the Personal Information Protection Act (個人資料保護法), the government cannot disclose personal information unless it is a national security matter, Wang said.
However, “those people could become a national security risk or become underground operatives of Beijing,” Wang said.
“The Personal Information Protection Act has become a firewall for these people. [The government] does not publish their details. Does it protect their details, or their working rights in China?” Tsai said.
According to the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), Taiwanese may not hold “household registrations” in China — a euphemism for Chinese citizenship used due to the complex political context across the Taiwan Strait — or they will be deprived of Republic of China (ROC) citizenship and given a fine of between NT$100,000 and NT$500,000.
During a question-and-answer session of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, bureau officials said the number of people taking public office in China has fluctuated and 131 people hold public positions in China, 19 of which are official and full-time positions.
The bureau confirmed that only two people have been punished, not including Lu Li-an (盧麗安), a Taiwanese elected to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) just-concluded 19th National Congress, or her husband, bureau Third Division Director Wang Shao-po (王少白) said.
Asked why only two people have been punished, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Lin Cheng-yi (林正義) said it is difficult to determine whether people actually hold official positions in China, because a person teaching at a Chinese university might also be recognized as such.
The council would revoke the citizenship of any Taiwanese found to have a “household registration” in China or to hold a Chinese passport, Lin said.
The council said it has canceled Lu and her husband’s citizenship, while it would look into other cases of people holding public office in China together with the Ministry of the Interior, Lin said.
Wang said people have to hold Chinese citizenship to hold public office in China and the government should automatically revoke the citizenship of any Taiwanese holding Chinese positions without asking them to provide relevant information.
In a statement issued late yesterday, the council said the two Taiwanese who had been disciplined are holding deputy director positions at a technology development center and an investment development agency of the Chinese government.
As they did not obtain Chinese citizenship, they only received a fine instead of having their ROC citizenship revoked, MAC Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said.
Of the remaining 17 people who hold full-time Chinese positions, the council is still investigating seven, while no violation was found in the other 10 cases, the council said.
Regarding the list of 196, the bureau referred to 2012, when one person was found to have violated the law and punished, but no violation was found in the cases of the other 168, whose positions in China were found not be linked to the government, military or political parties, the council said.
Chiu said Lu and her husband were not included to the group of 19 people because they violated a different article of the act, but confirmed that their ROC citizenship has been revoked due to their Chinese citizenship.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
RSS