The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday described the passage of the Anti-infiltration Act (反滲透法) as a minimal but correct step.
Although the act provides a stronger legal tool to fight Chinese infiltration, there is obvious room for improvement, the party said in a statement.
For example, the act does not bar people from taking control of Taiwanese media outlets or running political advertisements for Beijing under the instruction or sponsorship of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the NPP said.
Nor does it bar people from spreading false information, which could affect national security, or releasing joint statements with the CCP to undermine Taiwan’s freedom and democracy under the instruction or sponsorship of the CCP, it said.
While the NPP had proposed motions to add articles addressing those areas, they were blocked by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus, it added.
Other areas that the act does not address include running for office, initiating referendums, purchasing key national infrastructure or politically sensitive technologies under the instruction or sponsorship of the CCP, the NPP said.
To protect the nation’s democracy, related laws must be further enhanced, it said.
While the act marks an important step toward building a stronger defense mechanism for Taiwan’s democracy, it is not “fully satisfactory” in its content, NPP Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said in a livesteam.
The behaviors banned in the act are “minimal,” he said, adding that he finds it especially regrettable that the NPP’s proposal to add articles curbing Chinese infiltration of Taiwanese media was blocked.
Under current laws, Taiwanese media outlets running propaganda about unification for the CCP would be fined NT$100,000 to NT$500,000, he said.
To address the issue, he and Internet celebrity Holger Chen (陳之漢) on June 23 last year held a rally to call for tougher legislation to counter pro-China media outlets spreading fake news, he said.
Hopefully, all the important bills that failed to pass could be picked up in the next legislative session, he said.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
RSS