The government yesterday vowed to defend national sovereignty and the safety of all Taiwanese after China sanctioned two Cabinet ministers, accusing them of “separatism.”
Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) and Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) were added to Beijing’s list of “Taiwanese independence diehards,” while Chen Shu-yi (陳舒怡) of the High Prosecutors’ Office was named as an “accomplice.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) told a news conference that Liu and Cheng have committed numerous actions backing independence, “angering people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.”
Photo: Lee Wen-hsin, Taipei Times
Chen accused Liu of promoting independence, “suppressing cross-strait exchanges and persecuting Chinese spouses living in Taiwan,” and Chen of “compiling pro-independence teaching materials” and “poisoning the minds” of young people.
The office called on the public to provide evidence of Liu’s and Cheng’s “crimes.”
Liu and Cheng said that the accusations would not deter them.
“My commitment to defending national sovereignty, and a free and democratic way of life will not change, and I will continue to safeguard Taiwan,” she said.
The Fundamental Act of Education (教育基本法) says that the right to education revolves around the people, and that education’s purpose is to instill, among other traits, moral character, patriotism and understanding of democracy, Cheng said.
The Ministry of Education has been fulfilling its lawful duties as defined by the act and would continue to do so unflinchingly, he said.
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told reporters on the sidelines of a legislative hearing in Taipei that Beijing’s so-called “diehards” are “steadfast defenders of the Republic of China’s existence, fighting Chinese communist infiltration.”
“The government will persevere with full faith that those targeted will not change their views,” Liang said.
Separately, the MAC said that those being sanctioned by China have implemented strong and effective measures to counter Beijing’s pressure, infiltration and espionage campaigns.
China’s goal is not to harm the people on its sanction list, but assert the right to treat Taiwan as an internal territory and to sow internal division in the nation, concurrent with efforts to cultivate local collaborators, it said.
Beijing’s intimidation would never shake the resolve of Taiwanese to defend freedom and democracy, it said, adding that the government would dauntlessly uphold sovereignty, the rule of law and the well-being of Taiwanese.
China must take full responsibility for the consequences of its actions after undermining stability across the Taiwan Strait with its provocations, the MAC said.
Deputy Minister of Justice Huang Mou-hsin (黃謀信) said that Taiwan does not brook challenges to its sovereignty and his ministry fully supports prosecutors carrying out their duties.
District prosecutors’ offices have been ordered to take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of staff and punish collaborators who break the law on Beijing’s behalf, Huang said.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu and Wang Ting-chuan
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