Beijing is engaging with Taiwanese legislators in a bid to foster a policy of cooperation with China, National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday.
Exiled Chinese writer Yuan Hongbing (袁紅冰) first suggested in February that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would engage with legislators from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Tsai yesterday confirmed this to be the case, saying that the CCP was communicating with legislators, community representatives and members of non-governmental groups.
Photo: CNA
Tsai made the comments during a meeting at the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Mei-ling (羅美玲) asked Tsai whether the National Security Bureau had looked into the concerns expressed by Yuan in February.
“The bureau investigates all social and political issues in Taiwan that relate to the CCP,” Tsai said.
The bureau noticed a growing tendency of the CCP to seek strengthened exchanges with people from different segments of Taiwanese society including central and local public representatives, and members of associations, and religious, cultural and business groups, among others, he said.
“During that communication process, the CCP emphasizes common ground and downplays differences,” he said. “In particular, in communicating with legislators it pushes for policies that favor cooperation with China.”
The CCP increased exchanges with KMT and TPP legislators after the two parties gained seats in the legislature following the Jan. 13 elections, he said, adding that the bureau is keeping abreast of developments.
Responding to a question by DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋), Tsai said the growing number of Taiwanese artists and performers working in China who express opposition to Taiwanese independence was due to CCP coercion.
The CCP requires Taiwanese working in China to sign consent forms agreeing to push a unification agenda, and threatening tax audits and other actions if they do not agree, he said.
“One thing that the CCP often does is to demand artists or management companies sign forms saying they agree with the ‘1992 consensus,’ and that there is only one China,” he said.
The so-called “1992 consensus” — a term that former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the CCP that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
“They also must agree that during performances they would not criticize China’s political system or comment negatively on social issues in China,” he said.
The CCP also puts artificial limits on the number of attendees allowed at concerts held by Taiwanese artists in China, citing safety reasons, he said.
Shen said that the opacity of China’s interactions with Taiwanese artists made it impossible to distinguish who was being coerced and who was voluntarily adhering to the CCP’s demands.
“It would not be appropriate for the bureau to comment on individual cases or artists, but what we can say is that anyone going to China is susceptible to such coercion,” Shen said. “Therefore, we would advise caution to anyone planning to work or study in China.”
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
MORE NEEDED: Recall drives against legislators in Miaoli’s two districts and Hsinchu’s second district were still a few thousand signatures short of the second-stage threshold Campaigners aiming to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they expect success in 30 out of 35 districts where drives have passed the second-stage threshold, which would mark a record number of recall votes held at once. Hsinchu County recall campaigners yesterday announced that they reached the second-stage threshold in the recall effort against Legislator Lin Szu-ming (林思銘). A total of 26,414 signatures have been gathered over the past two months, surpassing the 10 percent threshold of 23,287 in Hsinchu County’s second electoral district, chief campaigner Hsieh Ting-ting (謝婷婷) said. “Our target is to gather an additional 1,500 signatures to reach
RSS