The Executive Yuan today approved amendments to 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) that would require legislators to obtain prior approval before traveling to China.
Under the draft amendments, civil servants ranked below grade 10 who are not involved in classified work would be required to obtain approval from their agencies before traveling to China.
Legislators and personnel who are aware of or possess state secrets would be required to obtain approval from a joint review committee composed of members from the Ministry of the Interior, National Security Bureau, Ministry of Justice, Mainland Affairs Council and other relevant agencies.
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The amendments would also mandate elected public officials to publicly disclose all contacts with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Chinese government, military, administrative or other politically affiliated agencies during their trips.
Upon returning to Taiwan, they would be required to submit details including time, location, purpose and content of the contacts to the competent authority, which would then publicly disclose the information.
Meanwhile, those who previously held certain offices would be prohibited from attending Chinese government or military ceremonies or activities that undermine national dignity, as well as events organized by CCP entities that advocate eliminating or downgrading Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Those designated under the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法) as handling classified information, or who learn of, possess or safeguard state secrets through their duties, would face fines ranging from NT$2 million to NT$10 million (US$63,580 to US$317,899) for unauthorized travel to China.
The changes aim to counter the CCP’s intensified “united front” efforts and infiltration targeting Taiwan, thereby safeguarding national security and stability, the Cabinet said.
Existing regulations on public servants' travel to China are insufficient, especially for those involved in national security or who have access to classified information, it said.
Information about contacts between elected public officials and China also lacks transparency, limiting public oversight, it added.
The proposed amendments are to be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation.
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