The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan.
Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said.
Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle by deliberately impugning Taiwan’s status as a nation and fabricating that Taiwan belongs to China, it added.
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
“Facing continued Chinese pressure, we will implement the ‘four pillars peace’ action plan and the ‘17 Countermeasures for National Security and United Front Threats’ to safeguard Taiwan’s sovereignty, democracy and citizens’ well-being,” the council said in the report.
The report listed significant events that have happened this year to show that China has increased its attempts at coercion of Taiwan.
These include measures to promote unification and encourage cross-strait exchanges; in March setting up a Web site for people to report Taiwanese independence supporters, while also threatening to punish supporters “using non-peaceful means and legal strategies”; military drills around Taiwan in April; the issuance of arrest warrants for members of the Taiwanese military in June; and in July moving civil aviation routes closer to the Taiwan Strait median line and placing eight so-called “Taiwanese independence” entities on an export control list.
Separately, Taiwan yesterday reiterated that all Taiwanese are banned from participating in the Chinese military parade on Wednesday, in addition to central and local government officials and those who have worked in national defense, diplomatic, China affairs and national security agencies, an official said on condition of anonymity.
People who help China amplify the military parade or any such agreement would be fined based on 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), an official said.
Taiwanese entertainers in China who help the CCP denigrate Taiwan or express support for invading the nation by force would face legal punishment, the council added.
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
BETTER SERVICE QUALITY: From Nov. 10, tickets with reserved seats would only be valid for the date, train and route specified on the ticket, THSRC said Starting on Nov. 10, high-speed rail passengers with reserved seats would be required to exchange their tickets to board an earlier train. Passengers with reserved seats on a specific train are currently allowed to board earlier trains on the same day and sit in non-reserved cars, but as this is happening increasingly often, and affecting quality of travel and ticket sales, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) announced that it would be canceling the policy on Nov. 10. It is one of several new measures launched by THSRC chairman Shih Che (史哲) to improve the quality of service, it said. The company also said
A magnitude 6 earthquake last night at 9:11pm struck off northeastern Yilan County, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The earthquake’s epicenter was located in waters between Toucheng Township (頭城) and Turtle Island (Gueishan Island, 龜山島), about 22.1km northeast of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 112km, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Yilan’s Dongshan (冬山) and Nanao (南澳) townships and Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義), where it measured 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. It measured 3 in other areas of Yilan and Taipei, as
RSS