President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that the Anti-infiltration Act (反滲透法) would not affect Taiwanese conducting legal exchanges with Chinese, after officially promulgating it earlier in the day.
Addressing the nation from the Presidential Office, Tsai said that the act prohibits only a handful of actions — including making political donations, engaging in electioneering, sabotaging legal assembly, and lobbying and interfering with elections — carried out under the instruction of China, or commissioned or funded by it.
The act would not affect normal cross-strait exchanges, she added.
Amid concerns regarding the new law, the president said that she has asked the Executive Yuan to make clarifications and explain it to the public to avoid causing unnecessary panic.
The Executive Yuan has also been asked to establish an ad hoc task force to provide the public with examples of actions that contravene the act, so that people can have clear guidelines to follow, Tsai said.
The Straits Exchange Foundation, a semi-official body that deals with cross-strait affairs, has also been tasked with answering questions about the act and collecting public opinions so that the government can make adjustments if necessary, Tsai said.
Despite Tsai’s repeated assurances, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Tseng Ming-chung (曾銘宗) yesterday said that a lack of contingency plans represented a threat to people’s basic rights.
The act, which comprises 12 articles, does not specify which government agency is responsible for its implementation, Tseng said.
It also does not provide legal remedy for people accused of contravening its provisions, he added.
A lack of contingencies shows that the act had been rushed through the legislature without careful assessment, Tseng said, adding that the KMT would soon request a constitutional interpretation from the Council of Grand Justices as a last resort to overturn the act.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus secretary-general Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said the act had to be passed first before the government could introduce contingency plans.
The KMT, the People First Party and Taiwanese business groups based in China have been vocal in their criticism of the act, which was passed by the DPP-controlled legislature on Dec. 31.
They have said that the act, which was initiated in late November last year with little cross-party discussion, lacks a concrete definition of what constitutes “infiltration,” giving authorities the freedom to interpret it when deciding whether the act has been contravened.
They have expressed concern that the act could be used by the government to arbitrarily suppress those who hold different political views and hinder cross-strait exchanges.
The government has said that the act complements existing laws to prevent hostile forces from intervening in the nation’s democratic political system or influencing national security through “infiltration sources.”
“Infiltration sources” are defined in the act as organizations or institutions affiliated with the government, political parties or other political groups of a foreign hostile force, and individuals dispatched by those entities.
A hostile force is defined as a country or group at war or in a military standoff with Taiwan that upholds the idea of jeopardizing the nation’s sovereignty by non-peaceful means, which clearly refers to China, although Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) said it applies to all foreign hostile forces.
The act prohibits anyone from making political donations, influencing elections, proposing the recall of government officials, or launching a public referendum at the instruction or with the financial support of an infiltration source.
It also prohibits lobbying on issues concerning national security, diplomacy and cross-strait affairs, at the instruction or with the financial support of an infiltration source.
Such actions may be punished by up to five years in prison or a fine of NT$10 million (US$333,890), according to the act.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
RSS