The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) is to take social media content into account when reviewing entry applications from Chinese seeking to visit Taiwan, MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a legislative meeting on Wednesday.
The agency has been looking into social media comments or posts by Chinese applying to travel to Taiwan for short-term exchanges, Liang said.
The process is aimed at screening for “remarks belittling Taiwan,” he said, without specifying what such remarks would entail.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Chinese students are not subject to the social media content screening, he added.
Liang was responding to questions from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Yi-chuan (王義川), who called for more restrictions on Chinese to combat “united front” activities in Taiwan.
“The government has to have an attitude” on the issue, Wang said, adding that the US had implemented a policy of screening visa applicants’ social media comments for national security reasons.
Wang was referring to reports that the US Department of State had ordered its overseas missions to scrutinize the social media content of some foreign applicants for student visas and other types of visas.
DPP Legislator Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) spoke against any attempts by government agencies that would risk suppressing free speech in the name of safeguarding national security.
“Very strict standards and very clear laws” must apply if the government wishes to punish people for having certain political stances, Chuang said, adding that authorities must devise “clear legal provisions” for curbing war propaganda.
A lack of clear legal boundaries would only brew controversy and ultimately create a “chilling effect” on Taiwanese society, Chuang said.
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