Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Yu-jen’s (陳玉珍) proposed amendments for outlying islands would turn Kinmen County into a “special trade zone” for China, posing a serious economic and military threat to Taiwan, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus said yesterday.
The proposal to amend the Offshore Islands Development Act (離島建設條例) would establish free-trade zones on the islands, especially in Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, which are near China’s Fujian Province, DPP caucus chief executive Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said.
The bill would allow China to “infiltrate Taiwan” through economic activities, endangering Taiwan’s sovereignty, Chung said.
Photo: CNA
The KMT has introduced numerous versions of the amendments over the years, which faced pushback and criticism from the public, DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) said.
“No matter what version the KMT proposed, the bills were not that different,” Shen said.
The KMT is attempting to use the Offshore Islands Development Act to weaken the central government’s authority in Kinmen and Matsu, he said.
“In earlier versions, the bills sought to eliminate all central government authority over the islands, to empower the local governments to directly negotiate with China,” he said.
Chen’s proposal would open a backdoor for Chinese influence, with the free-trade zones enabling Beijing to enhance its political and economic influence over Taiwan, DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said.
The proposed amendments were sent directly to a second reading on Dec. 2 last year, and could be approved by the legislature as early as this week, as a one-month negotiation freeze has expired.
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