The Executive Yuan yesterday approved amendments to toughen sanctions against economic spies working for China or other foreign nations.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) told a Cabinet meeting that China in the past few years has intensified its “red supply chain” infiltration of industries in Taiwan.
Chinese firms are attracting high-tech talent from Taiwan and stealing “core” technologies, Su said.
Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
As a result, it is necessary to establish stricter regulations and a more robust national security policy to protect such technologies, he said.
The proposed amendments to the National Security Act (國家安全法) stipulate that anyone who steals Taiwan’s core technologies or trade secrets to give them to China or other hostile foreign forces would face five to 12 years in prison, and be fined NT$50 million to NT$100 million (US$1.79 million to US$3.59 million).
Those who give their own trade secrets of Taiwan’s core technologies to China, including Hong Kong and Macau, or other foreign jurisdictions would face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to NT$50 million, the proposed amendments say.
Draft amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例) say that individuals or members of organizations that receive government subsidies for work on national core technologies must report to the government and secure approval if they want to travel to China less than three years after working on government-sponsored projects.
Such people who travel to China without securing prior approval would face a fine of up to NT$10 million, the draft amendments say.
The proposed changes to the National Security Act are necessary, as they offer two more layers of protection to prevent Taiwan’s core technologies from being illegally obtained by foreign hostile forces, complimenting protections in the Trade Secrets Act (營業秘密法), the Ministry of Justice said.
The Intellectual Property and Commercial Court and the Taiwan High Court are to have jurisdiction over cases of economic spying and extraterritorial use of core technologies, the ministry said.
Department of Prosecutorial Affairs Director-General Lin Jinn-tsun (林錦村) said that core technologies are those that are regulated by the government to uphold national defense and the safety of key infrastructure.
They also include leading technologies that have the potential to greatly elevate Taiwan’s global competitiveness, Lin said.
A list of core technologies is to be announced by the Executive Yuan, he said.
The proposed amendments need to be approved by the Legislative Yuan and promulgated by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) before they take effect.
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
The subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in Kumamoto, Japan, turned a profit in the first quarter of this year, marking the first time the first fab of the unit has become profitable since mass production started at the end of 2024. According to the contract chipmaker’s financial statement released on Friday, Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc (JASM), a joint venture running the fab in Kumamoto, posted NT$951 million (US$30.19 million) in profit in the January-to-March period, compared with a loss of NT$1.39 billion in the previous quarter, and a loss of NT$3.25 billion in the first quarter of
RESOLUTE BACKING: Two Republican senators are planning to introduce legislation that would impose immediate sanctions on China if it attempts to invade Taiwan US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday reaffirmed US congressional support for Taiwan, saying the US and “all freedom-loving people” have a stake in preventing China from seizing Taiwan by force. Johnson made the remarks in an interview with Fox News Sunday on US President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) last week. In an interview that aired on Friday on Fox News, just as Trump wrapped up a high-stakes visit to China, he said he has yet to green-light a new US$14 billion arms package to Taiwan and that it “depends on China.” “It’s a very good
US President Donald Trump yesterday said he would speak to President William Lai (賴清德) as his administration considers whether to move ahead with a US$14 billion weapons sale to Taiwan — a potential arms deal that has drawn criticism from China. “Well, I’ll speak to him. I speak to everybody,” Trump told reporters yesterday when asked if he had any plans to call his counterpart, although he did not offer a time frame for when such a conversation could take place. Trump previously said he would speak to the person “that’s running Taiwan,” without specifying who he meant. “We have that situation very
RSS