An association accused of conducting “united front” tactics on Taiwan college campuses is being dealt with in accordance with the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.
The MAC told a news conference that no individual or organization in Taiwan may engage in any form of cooperative activity with any agencies in China unless permitted according to Article 33-1 of the act.
The Taiwan Economic Democracy Union on Wednesday said in a news conference with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Fan Yun (范雲), Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) and Jean Kuo (郭昱晴) that the Chinese Qunpeng Association was carrying out “united front” tactics on Taiwan’s college campuses.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The group, which has its roots in the New Party, facilitates visits of Taiwanese college students to China with the goal of promoting pro-unification politics, union researcher Huang Cheng-han (黃承瀚) said.
It offers grants and scholarships for which recipients must “identify with the one China principle” and “advocate unification with the Chinese motherland,” Huang said.
Students have reported that local officials of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office accompanied them on entire trips to China, and they only had to pay for the airfare, Huang added.
The Ministry of Education should seek to close these loopholes, and the MAC and the Ministry of the Interior should investigate the matter, the union said.
The interior ministry on Wednesday said the group contravenes the Civil Associations Act (人民團體法), as it does not convene meetings of the board of directors, the board of supervisors and the members’ assembly.
The ministry said a warning was issued to the group on Tuesday in accordance with Article 58 of the act.
The group would be ordered to disband if it does not improve by June 6, it added.
Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) yesterday cited Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) as repeatedly saying that cross-strait exchanges should be conducted in a “healthy and orderly manner,” should not have a political agenda and should be risk-free.
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) infiltration of Taiwan’s college campuses is becoming increasingly serious, the interior ministry said.
At the Legislative Yuan yesterday, MAC Deputy Minister Shen You-chung (沈有忠) warned about CCP attempts to lure people to participate in the “red” supply chain for the benefit of their professional development.
The council will continue to remind people of the risks associated with moving to China, Shen said.
Cross-strait exchanges should follow principles of equality, Shen said.
Students interested in bilateral exchanges with China should keep in mind their personal safety and register prior to the exchange to ensure they are carried out appropriately, Shen said.
Besides China, there are many destinations where Taiwan’s students can gain international exposure, Shen added.
The CCP’s methods of infiltrating college campuses are becoming more diverse, he said, referring to the Chinese Qunpeng Association.
The council will look at the itineraries for these types of exchanges and note any abnormalities involving organizations on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, he said.
One university has decided it would not give permission to the group to use its venues, Department of International and Cross-strait Education Deputy Director-General Rebecca Lan (藍先茜) said yesterday.
The education ministry is working with the council and national security authorities to prevent CCP infiltration on Taiwan’s campuses, Deputy Minister of Education Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) said.
Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) on Wednesday said that schools should not “only think about exchanges with China,” sparking a heated discussion.
China is still listed as a travel warning area by the MAC, as there are risks in traveling there and tensions remain relatively high, Cheng said.
Yesterday, Cheng said that he is not “opposed to student exchanges with China.”
Exchanges are positive, but the US and Europe are not as “unfriendly” to Taiwan as China is, Cheng said.
Since China is not democratic, young people, students and teachers should be encouraged to have exchanges with democratic countries elsewhere, he added.
Additional reporting by Yang Mien-chieh and Jason Pan
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