The National Security Council (NSC) yesterday said the Legislative Yuan’s refusal to pass a motion condemning China’s war games, but demanding the resignation of NSC Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) over the espionage conviction of his former aid, is sending a wrong message to the international community.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), which together hold a majority of seats in the legislature, passed a motion demanding that Wu step down, citing “severe damage to national interests” caused by Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑), who was sentenced for his role in procuring classified documents for China while serving as Wu’s aide during his tenure as minister of foreign affairs in 2023.
The Taipei District Court in September last year handed Ho an eight-year-and-two-month prison sentence and sentenced three others involved in the espionage case. Ho, who remains in detention, said he had done nothing wrong and could still appeal the verdict.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The opposition also cited Wu’s repeated refusal to attend legislative committee meetings, despite lawmakers’ requests, as another reason for the motion, saying it amounted to “evading legislative oversight.”
The motion, proposed by the TPP, was passed with 52 votes in favor and 48 votes against. It carries more symbolic weight than legal force.
Meanwhile, at yesterday’s plenary session, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party proposed an agenda that included a motion to condemn the “Justice Mission 2025” military exercises conducted by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army around Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday, but it was voted down by the opposition.
The NSC said the vote result sends the wrong message to the world and gives China an opportunity to divide Taiwan, carry out cognitive warfare and conduct “united front” infiltration.
The Chinese Communist Party has launched large-scale military exercises near Taiwan and continues to pressure the nation through “gray zone” tactics, using force and coercion to unilaterally alter the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, thereby escalating regional security risks, it said, adding that the issue has drawn the attention of the international community, which has expressed its concerns and condemned China’s actions.
At this critical moment, the opposition voted down a proposal to condemn China’s military drills and instead attacked the national security and administrative teams, it said.
This tramples on the efforts of the military and coast guard personnel who are on the front lines defending the country, it added.
The NSC called on all political parties to prioritize national interests and the safety of the public, and to promptly review the national budget and the special defense regulations, stop internal fighting and present a united front to the world so that they could safeguard national sovereignty, democracy, the constitutional system, and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
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