The Chinese government’s proposed national security law for Hong Kong could jeopardize the right to personal freedom of Taiwanese in the region, National Security Council (NSC) Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday.
China’s National People’s Congress on Friday last week unveiled a proposal to enact a Hong Kong security law.
The proposed “enforcement mechanisms,” which are expected to ban treason, subversion and sedition, are being introduced in response to last year’s pro-democracy protests in the territory.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
If Beijing passes the controversial law, it would have broken its promise to respect the territory’s autonomy under its “one country, two systems” model, Tsai said in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Yu-chin (吳玉琴) at a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee in Taipei.
The council is concerned that the law could affect the personal freedom of Taiwanese, such as businesspeople or workers at non-governmental organizations, when they engage in interviews or other exchanges in the region, Tsai said.
The legislation would overturn the special status — both legally and politically — that China has assigned to Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region, he said.
Asked by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) whether the proposed law would impact Hong Kong’s financial markets and lead to capital flowing to Taiwan, Tsai said that it could have that effect.
As investors are based in the territory due to its special status, passage of the proposed legislation could result in the flight of foreign capital, as well as talent, Tsai said, adding that the council would pay close attention to developments.
The council would also need to review whether capital investments from Hong Kong would need to be redefined as Chinese capital, Tsai said in response to a query from DPP Legislator Kao Chia-yu (高嘉瑜).
Wu urged the government to respond with caution to the proposed law — which would give the Hong Kong government the power to detain or incarcerate individuals on subversion or “other unwarranted charges” — to safeguard the rights of Taiwanese in the territory.
Beijing has never given up on annexing Taiwan, she said, adding that it has waged several “wars” against the nation, including “public opinion and legal warfare.”
Taiwan every month is subject to about 30 million cyberattacks likely orchestrated by the Chinese Communist Party, and although the interception rate is as high as 99.99 percent, the 0.01 percent not intercepted could be a loophole, she said, citing Executive Yuan data.
From the increasing and intensified number of cyberattacks on Taiwan, it is clear that Beijing has created a “nationwide cyberarmy,” Tsai said.
The council would stay abreast of cybersecurity developments in Taiwan and other nations to ensure the best defensive policies are implemented when required, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei
RSS