The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday proposed amendments that would subject Taiwanese who lobby for Chinese political interests to prison sentences of up to three years and fines of NT$500,000 to NT$5 million (US$15,893 to US$158,932).
Under the drafts to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), Taiwanese individuals and organizations would be banned from lobbying for the political interests of the Chinese government, political parties or organizations that might affect Taiwan’s national security or interests, NPP Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) told a news conference.
While the 2007 Lobbying Act (遊說法) already bans Chinese individuals and organizations from lobbying for their political interests or having others lobby on their behalf, the provision does not entail any punishment and is “almost useless,” Huang said.
Photo: CNA
While a number of officials have advocated the introduction of a law similar to the US’ Foreign Agents Registration Act, mere transparency would not be sufficient for Taiwan, he said.
The US act, passed in 1938, requires individuals and organizations controlled by foreign governments or organizations to disclose such connections, as well as information about their activities and finances, Huang added.
The drafts are part of a series of amendments proposed by the NPP to enhance protection of the nation’s democracy and security against Chinese infiltration, NPP caucus convener Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said.
The party has also proposed amendments to broadcasting laws and the National Security Act (國家安全法) to tighten regulations on media companies controlled by the Chinese government or organizations, and on publishing Chinese Communist Party propaganda, he added.
As many bills are still under review with the legislative session expected to end in a few weeks, Hsu said that he hopes Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) would extend the session to allow more time for discussion.
“In her speech [on Monday] to mark her inauguration anniversary, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) listed protecting Taiwan’s sovereignty as one of her major achievements,” he said.
Since all three draft amendments are in line with that goal, they should receive support from legislators across party lines and pass soon, Hsu added.
The Philippines is working behind the scenes to enhance its defensive cooperation with Taiwan, the Washington Post said in a report published on Monday. “It would be hiding from the obvious to say that Taiwan’s security will not affect us,” Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro Jr told the paper in an interview on Thursday last week. Although there has been no formal change to the Philippines’ diplomatic stance on recognizing Taiwan, Manila is increasingly concerned about Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea, the report said. The number of Chinese vessels in the seas around the Philippines, as well as Chinese
‘A SERIOUS THREAT’: Japan has expressed grave concern over the Strait’s security over the years, which demonstrated Tokyo’s firm support for peace in the area, an official said China’s military drills around Taiwan are “incompatible” with peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya said during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi (王毅) on Thursday. “Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is important for the international community, including Japan,” Iwaya told Wang during a meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings in Kuala Lumpur. “China’s large-scale military drills around Taiwan are incompatible with this,” a statement released by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday cited Iwaya as saying. The Foreign Ministers’ Meetings are a series of diplomatic
URBAN COMBAT: FIM-92 Stinger shoulder-fired missiles from the US made a rare public appearance during early-morning drills simulating an invasion of the Taipei MRT The ongoing Han Kuang military exercises entered their sixth day yesterday, simulating repelling enemy landings in Penghu County, setting up fortifications in Tainan, laying mines in waters in Kaohsiung and conducting urban combat drills in Taipei. At 5am in Penghu — part of the exercise’s first combat zone — participating units responded to a simulated rapid enemy landing on beaches, combining infantry as well as armored personnel. First Combat Zone Commander Chen Chun-yuan (陳俊源) led the combined armed troops utilizing a variety of weapons systems. Wang Keng-sheng (王鏗勝), the commander in charge of the Penghu Defense Command’s mechanized battalion, said he would give
‘REALISTIC’ APPROACH: The ministry said all the exercises were scenario-based and unscripted to better prepare personnel for real threats and unexpected developments The army’s 21st Artillery Command conducted a short-range air defense drill in Taoyuan yesterday as part of the Han Kuang exercises, using the indigenous Sky Sword II (陸射劍二) missile system for the first time in the exercises. The armed forces have been conducting a series of live-fire and defense drills across multiple regions, simulating responses to a full-scale assault by Chinese forces, the Ministry of National Defense said. The Sky Sword II missile system was rapidly deployed and combat-ready within 15 minutes to defend Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in a simulated attack, the ministry said. A three-person crew completed setup and
RSS