The Executive Yuan is working to finalize proposed amendments relating to President William Lai’s (賴清德) 17 national security strategies, sources said on Sunday.
Lai on March 13 announced the strategies to counter growing infiltration efforts against Taiwan, from reinstating the military court system to enhancing scrutiny of immigrants from China, Hong Kong and Macau.
To fortify the legal frameworks to support the measures, the Executive Yuan has since last month convened several cross-ministerial meetings and plans to propose amendments to 11 bills, as well as 75 new initiatives and 17 government programs.
Photo: I-Hwa Cheng, Bloomberg
Among the measures and administrative orders that could be implemented immediately without needing to go through legislative procedures is a requirement that religious organizations visiting China register their information and the nature of their program with the government, sources said.
They also include requiring Chinese spouses to renounce their Chinese household registration to maintain their Taiwan residency status.
Administrative orders would also implement checks on Taiwanese entertainers working in China who denigrate the sovereignty of Taiwan or voice support for hostile military action by China. The orders would also require a comprehensive review on the status of military and civil service personnel, as well as civil servants, education sector, who are believed to have Chinese residency and a Chinese ID card.
Proposed amendments to the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法), the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) and the Military Trial Act (軍事審判法) would seek to raise penalties on military officers found to have engaged in espionage, passed on classified materials or sworn allegiance to an enemy state, the sources said.
To counter Chinese propaganda, the Ministry of Education has been working on new education materials to stress Taiwan’s national identity, and to better address China’s military intimidation of the nation, they said, adding that the texts are to be completed by the end of summer break.
The Cabinet would also introduce measures to check the backgrounds of aides and staff working at all levels of government to prevent foreign infiltration. The level of vetting would depend on the staff member’s job level or access to classified materials.
The checks would expand to include the vetting of first secretary and chief of staff ranks, as well as higher levels of ministries, the sources said.
The vetting would also include government contractors who have been in the same position for three years, as well as civil servants at the 10th level or lower rank, who would need approval from their supervisors to travel to China.
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