Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) today urged Taiwanese to carefully consider the risks of traveling to or investing in China, after reports that her nephew was dismissed from a Taiwanese firm with branches in China.
Taiwanese could face intimidation and threats, and their personal safety and property could be compromised, Liu said before a legislative session today.
Her remarks followed reports that her nephew, Yen Wen-chun (顏文群), has been removed from all positions at Long Time Technology Co (榮炭科技) and its branches in China.
Photo: Taipei Times file photo
The company in a statement on Tuesday said that Yen’s removal was effective April 7, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.
China would not allow “die-hard ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionists or their relatives to invest in or profit from business activities on the mainland,” Xinhua quoted China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) as saying.
"We will not allow Taiwan individuals who support secessionism and damage cross-Strait relations to make money on the mainland on one hand, while backing secessionist activities on the other hand," he said.
The Chinese Communist Party’s coercion of Taiwanese businesspeople into making political statements has created a chilling effect, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said last night.
China has repeatedly crossed the bottom line of civility, seriously harming the normal operations of Taiwanese businesses and cross-strait relations, the MAC said, adding that it strongly condemns Beijing’s action.
The Ministry of the Interior’s position is completely aligned with the MAC, Liu said.
Taiwan is a democratic society governed by the rule of law, she said, adding that, as a government official, she would continue to handle all matters in accordance with the laws and regulations of the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name).
Her position on safeguarding Taiwan’s democratic way of life and defending the nation’s sovereignty has not changed, she said.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
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