The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday urged the public not to comply with Beijing’s “bounty notices” or provide information via a newly created Facebook page run by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), warning that doing so could contravene the National Security Act (國家安全法).
“If anyone complies with the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) so-called ‘bounty notices’ by providing information or filing reports, the conduct could fall under the National Security Act, the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法) and the Criminal Code,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said at a regular news briefing in Taipei.
Such conduct could prompt legal action by Taiwanese authorities and result in imprisonment of seven years or more, he said, urging the public not to cooperate with the Chinese side for “a bit of personal gain.”
Photo: CNA
Liang made the remarks when asked about a Facebook page newly set up by TAO and said that such cooperation could be facilitated by Facebook’s private-messaging function.
Launched on Tuesday under the name “Spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council,” the TAO Facebook page had about 18,000 followers as of 7pm on Wednesday, with eight posts in total.
Except for the launch post, the remaining seven were video clips of TAO spokesperson Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) answering reporters’ questions at Wednesday’s news briefing, each with traditional Chinese subtitles.
Describing it as a “relaunch,” Liang said TAO launched a Facebook page in 2016, “but because few people followed it, it was shut down in 2020.”
“Frankly, we’re a bit envious of the TAO,” Liang said, adding that the office can set up a Facebook page for people in Taiwan to see, whereas MAC “clearly” cannot open a page on the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo, as it would “likely be blocked immediately.”
“This reflects the differences between the two sides’ systems and their approaches to controlling speech,” he added.
Across those eight posts, many users left comments expressing concern about Yu Menglong (于朦朧), a Chinese entertainer who died last month.
Many questioned the circumstances of his death, with some calling it suspicious, and repeatedly asked whether a case had been filed and for updates on the investigation.
Others also left comments questioning whether the office was “climbing the firewall” — a reference to circumventing China’s Great Firewall, which blocks Internet users in China from platforms such as Facebook and Google — sarcastically asking: “Are you here to experience free speech?”
Asked about the reactions in the comments, Liang said it is natural for Taiwanese netizens to express their views.
“I do not think that would be possible under conditions in mainland China,” he added.
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