The government is considering imposing a fine on Taiwanese who have Chinese residence permits, as part of efforts to deter Chinese cognitive warfare, a national security official said yesterday.
President William Lai (賴清德) at a news conference on Friday, after his first high-level national security meeting of the year, said that the government has summed up an overall strategy for the next stage of advancing national security and development.
“To counter the threats to our national security from China’s ‘united front’ tactics, attempts at infiltration and cognitive warfare, we will continue with the reform of our legal framework for national security and expand the national security framework to boost societal resilience and foster unity within,” he said.
Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba, AFP
A security official familiar with cross-strait issues on condition of anonymity yesterday said that the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例) stipulates that the government can cancel ID cards and household registrations of those who have Chinese ID cards or Chinese passports, but the act has yet to regulate those holding Chinese residence permits.
An amendment to the act was proposed in 2018, which would require those holding Chinese residence permits to inform the government after receiving the documents, and those who fail to do so would be punished in accordance with the law. Those who work in agencies that handle national security affairs were banned from holding Chinese residence permits. However, the amendment was not approved by the Cabinet due to the elections and other factors.
The official yesterday said that Lai has instructed security officials to build a comprehensive national security network to counter China’s intensifying “united front” work and infiltration campaign by reviewing regulations, infrastructure and other aspects.
To bolster national security laws, the government is considering proposing an amendment to punish those who apply for Chinese residence permits or ID cards, the official said, adding that it is also considering amending the administrative order to better manage the travel of those working or living in China.
Residents of Hong Kong and Macau who apply to migrate to or reside in Taiwan would also be under even closer scrutiny, as the two regions are increasingly integrated into China, the official said yesterday, adding that migrants from those areas could become channels to infiltrate Taiwan and become national security loopholes.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS