The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said the pan-blue camp is supported not only by Beijing, but also by Taiwanese fugitives in China, who have been assisting the pan-blues in mobilizing Taiwanese businesspeople in China to vote for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Lien Chan (連戰).
\n"Since last year, the pan-blue camp has carried out numerous campaign activities in China, all in violation of Chinese law. However, not only did the Chinese government fail to put a stop to these activities, instead it allowed and even supported their activities," said DPP campaign headquarters spokesman Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁).
\nFor example, Wu said, the Chinese government, has completely ignored a Lien-Soong district campaign headquarters operating under the name of a Taiwanese trade service institute in Shanghai opertaing since Feb. 7.
\nWu said that, according to some Taiwanese businesspeople in China, during the past six months the Lien-Soong camp has sent key figures, including KMT Legislator John Chang (章孝嚴), KMT Mainland Affairs department head Chang Rong-kung (張榮恭) and KMT policy committee senior member Kao Koong-lian (高孔廉), to launch those campaign events in China.
\nAccording to Wu, the Lien-Soong headquarters has held campaign activities, including a fundraising event on Jan. 8 which collected NT$27 million, a reception for businessmen on Jan. 11, sending letters inviting Taiwanese businessmen associations to attend a Lien-Soong campaign activity on Jan. 17, and the opening ceremony for the Lien-Soong Shanghai headquarters on Feb 7.
\n"All those events violated the Chinese government's regulations, which were published on April 20 last year, but the Chinese government issued no citations and even encouraged Taiwanese business-people to participate," Wu said.
\n"Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that there is a secret deal between the pan-blue camp and the regime in Beijing," Wu said.
\nHe also said that the DPP is concerned about two aspects of this development. One is whether the secret deal had sacrificed Taiwanese national interestd, and the other is that the businesspeople involved in the event may be blackmailed into acting as China's agents provocateur.
\n"If China decides to reveal its two-faced countenance, Taiwanese businesspeople could be imprisoned at any moment," he said.
\nMeanwhile, the DPP legislative caucus also claimed that some leaders of the Lien-Soong campaign in China were actually Taiwanese white-collar criminals, among them several who are still fugitives from justice.
\n"Chang Yang (
SAFETY RISK: The government is working to categorize countries based on their COVID-19 cases and prevention efforts, which would determine quarantine periods The government plans to rank countries based on their COVID-19 risks to determine how to treat tourists and other travelers from those nations once Taiwan reopens its borders, but it is still working out the categories, a top health official told lawmakers yesterday. “We would divide countries around the world into several categories. One category would comprise those countries with very few confirmed COVID-19 cases, such as New Zealand and Palau. Travelers from the countries in this category would only need to practice self-health management,” Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) told a Legislative Yuan seminar hosted by
China would attack Taiwan if there is no other way of stopping it from becoming independent, Chinese General Li Zuocheng (李作成) said yesterday. Speaking at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on the 15th anniversary of China’s “Anti-Secession” Law, Li, who is chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Central Military Commission, left the door open to using force. The 2005 law is China’s legislative basis for military action against Taiwan. “If the possibility for peaceful reunification is lost, the people’s armed forces will, with the whole nation, including the people of Taiwan, take all necessary steps to
SECURITY CONCERNS: The Telecom Technology Center ran black-box tests for the Executive Yuan on devices and software from Chinese, US and South Korean firms Network devices from several Chinese manufacturers are insecure and allow personal information to be leaked, testing commissioned by the Executive Yuan has shown. A variety of devices and software, including apps, from Chinese, US and South Korean manufacturers that are used by government agencies at the central and local level were subjected to black-box testing — in which the functionality of an application is examined without knowing about its internal structure, an information-security official said yesterday on condition of anonymity. The Telecom Technology Center conducted the tests, which simulated cyberattacks, to determine their resilience to the attacks, the official said. The center
CASH BOOST: Foreign spouses with residency permits are also eligible for the coupons, which can be bought at post offices or linked to digital payment options Stimulus coupons for Taiwanese and foreign spouses with residency permits can be ordered starting on July 1 and can be used from July 15 to Dec. 31, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. Aimed at boosting domestic spending, the coupons worth NT$3,000 (US$100.04) are to cost NT$1,000. “For our consumers, this is a very good deal as they get three times as much value for their money,” Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) told a news conference in Taipei. While the coupons are to have a wide range of uses, including at department stores, restaurants, book stores, night markets, beauty and hair salons, hotels, and to
RSS