Taiwanese are banned from holding positions in the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), Confucius Institutes and other organizations affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after revisions to a list of prohibited groups took effect yesterday.
The original list was announced in 2004 after a 2003 amendment to Article 33-2 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) prohibited Taiwanese from holding positions, or being members of political or military organizations of the CCP that have been identified by the MAC in consultation with other authorities.
Those contravening the rule are subject to punishment based on Article 90 of the act.
Photo: Taipei Times
Government officials, mayors of special municipalities and government workers who have handled diplomatic or national security matters face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to NT$500,000.
“The list had not been revised for more than 20 years, while the CCP has conducted major personnel adjustments multiple times. As such, the list needs to be revised as it no longer accurately reflects the status quo of the CCP,” the council said.
The list was revised based on the structure of the CCP, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and the Chinese government, the council said, adding that it clearly states the names of the CCP-backed political and military organizations.
More political organizations have been added to the list, including the ARATS, Confucius Institutes, the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots and the All-China Youth Federation, the MAC said, adding that the list also identifies related agencies, offices and branches.
“We consider it appropriate that the list includes all these political organizations and their affiliated agencies, as the CCP can change the names of organizations to evade oversight by Taiwanese authorities,” the council said.
The agencies on the list should be closely monitored, as they are part of China’s “united front” work to confound the national identity and loyalty of Taiwanese and compromise national security, it said.
“The political and economic systems of Taiwan and China are different,” it said. “When seeking employment in China, Taiwanese should carefully assess the risks and be sure to abide by government regulations.”
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central
RSS