The Executive Yuan and the Mainland Affairs Council should look into recent actions taken by the Lienchiang County (Matsu) Government to ensure they do not align with China’s “united front” rhetoric, the Control Yuan said yesterday.
A Control Yuan investigation overseen by member Lin Wen-cheng (林文程) highlighted how the county government’s directive to all townships to promote and assist residents in applying for a Fujian-Matsu city pass could aid and abet Chinese “united front” rhetoric.
The card, unveiled in February last year by China’s Fujian Provincial Government, is preloaded with 300 yuan (US$41.07) and aims to encourage Lienchiang residents to travel to Fujian to purchase daily necessities, drawing them economically and socially closer to the Chinese province.
Photo: Lin Che-yuan, Taipei Times
It was evident that the county government lacked sufficient understanding of 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) and that its officials should be better trained, Lin said.
The geographic proximity of Lienchiang County to China should make it more alert to Beijing’s “united front” tactics, he said.
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) desire to take over Taiwan has never abated, and it is considered “the enemy,” as per the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法) and the Anti-infiltration Act (反滲透法), he added.
The pass is a thinly veiled attempt to collect personal information from county residents, he said, adding that the county government has not only failed to implement safeguards, but is actively undermining the safeguards.
County officials’ casual dismissal of concerns regarding the program’s pro-unification and “united front” rhetoric poses a national security concern and should be addressed, Lin said.
The lack of transparency surrounding key details of the pass, including which organization is responsible for its issuance and where it is valid, demonstrates a cavalier attitude, he said.
The report also cited a glaring absence of documented communications between the Lienchiang and Fujian governments due to the use of WeChat for cross-strait exchanges.
The absence of documentation could hinder judicial efforts to determine accountability should disputes arise in the future, he said.
Lin urged the council to discourage Lienchiang County and other outlying island governments from participating in similar programs with China.
The council seems ill-informed about CCP attempts to foster pro-unification sentiment among the outlying islands, Lin said, adding that it should maintain closer communication with the Lienchiang and Kinmen county governments to uphold national sovereignty and dignity.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
RSS