The Economic Democracy Union (EDU) yesterday proposed several measures to safeguard Taiwan’s economy, including preventing a Chinese blockade of Taiwan.
Aside from calling for working with the US to prevent a blockade in the Taiwan Strait, it also proposed collaborations with Washington on critical security infrastructure, restricting technology exports to China and joint reviews of investments, as well as a motion to ban Hon Hai Precision Industry Co from investing in Chinese company Tsinghua Unigroup, EDU researcher Ou Hsu-shao (歐栩韶) said.
These measures would prevent Taiwan from becoming a loophole for China to access advanced technologies, the EDU said.
Taiwan and the US should work together to conduct wargame scenarios on how Washington would assist Taipei in storing and obtaining materials necessary to produce semiconductors, guarantee a source of natural gas to secure power supply and provide basic material needs, the EDU said.
These are necessary, especially in light of China’s unprecedented military drills following the visit of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi early last month, which the EDU said was an attempt by Beijing to enforce an aerial and naval blockade on Taiwan, it said.
The US should also work with Taiwan in developing infrastructure, especially in Taiwan’s science parks, to prevent China from learning what goes on in the parks via Chinese-made surveillance cameras, the EDU said.
Media reports early this month said that Hsinchu Science Park had purchased China-made surveillance cameras, while 16 other cameras that appeared to be made entirely in Taiwan, contained Chinese components.
The reports said the cameras were installed on the main road of the science park.
EDU researcher Hsu Kuan-tse (許冠澤) said Taiwan should consider passing legislation similar to the US’ Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act to prevent Taiwan from becoming a technological loophole for China.
Hsu also called on Taiwan to work with the US on joint reviews for foreign investments to bar all Chinese-sourced investments from entering Taiwan, adding that Hon Hai’s investment in Tsinghua Unigroup should be banned.
The Investment Commission must be reformed and its ranks expanded to include experts in national security, prosecution, technology and combating money laundering, EDU convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said.
The two executive secretaries of the commission should be headed by officials from the National Security Bureau and the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau, he said.
The commission should have on-site prosecutors, as per the Financial Supervisory Commission, allowing the Investment Commission to launch investigations promptly should they discover criminal activity in the line of duty, Lai said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS