China’s adoption yesterday of a new national security law that codified the inclusion of Taiwan was “very impolite behavior” toward Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Andrew Hsia (夏立言) said, adding that the council would lodge a formal protest with Beijing.
The law adopted by the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC) covers everything from territorial sovereignty and security of territorial seas and airspace to measures to tighten cybersecurity.
The Standing Committee passed the law by a vote of 154 to zero, with one abstention.
Photo: Reuters
It stipulates that: “Safeguarding China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is the common obligation of all Chinese people, including people in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.”
No unilateral action or lawmaking by the Chinese government could change the cross-strait reality, Hsia said, adding that the passage of the law was “very impolite behavior toward us.”
China should squarely face the fact that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are governed by separate governments, he said.
Democratic Progressive Party spokesperson Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) criticized Beijing for disrespecting Taiwanese and called on the government to respond firmly to China’s move.
“The future of Taiwan should be decided by all 23 million people of Taiwan, and it is the mainstream opinion in Taiwan that we should insist on values of democracy and freedom, maintenance of the ‘status quo’ and constitutionalism — and these are not something that should be ripped off by the legislation of another country,” Cheng said. “What Beijing has done is disrespectful of Taiwanese, and it would not be acceptable in Taiwan.”
He urged the government to respond strongly to defend national interests and dignity.
Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lai Cheng-chang (賴振昌) said that Beijing was “delusional and talking nonsense” by passing the law and called on President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to halt all cross-strait exchanges immediately.
Another core component of the law is to make all key network infrastructure and information systems “secure and controllable.”
However, foreign business groups and diplomats have argued that the law is vague and fear it could require that technology firms make products in China or use source code released to inspectors, forcing them to expose intellectual property.
Zheng Shuna (鄭淑娜), vice chairwoman of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, downplayed those concerns, saying China welcomes “all countries’ businesses to operate in China and provide legitimate services according to law.”
“We will continue to follow the path of peaceful development, but we absolutely will not give up our legitimate rights and absolutely will not sacrifice the country’s core interests,” she said at a briefing in Beijing.
Critics have said that the extensive nature of the law, which covers everything from China’s deep sea and space assets to “harmful cultural influences,” constitutes national security overreach.
According to the law, which also covers crimes of subversion and inciting rebellion, Hong Kong and Macau must “fulfil responsibilities to safeguard national security.” That reference could spark more fears of Beijing encroaching on Hong Kong’s rule of law.
Additional reporting by Reuters and Chang Hsiao-ti
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
SECURITY RISK: If there is a conflict between China and Taiwan, ‘there would likely be significant consequences to global economic and security interests,’ it said China remains the top military and cyber threat to the US and continues to make progress on capabilities to seize Taiwan, a report by US intelligence agencies said on Tuesday. The report provides an overview of the “collective insights” of top US intelligence agencies about the security threats to the US posed by foreign nations and criminal organizations. In its Annual Threat Assessment, the agencies divided threats facing the US into two broad categories, “nonstate transnational criminals and terrorists” and “major state actors,” with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea named. Of those countries, “China presents the most comprehensive and robust military threat
RSS