Taiwan cabinet approves bill requiring lawmakers to seek approval before China visits

The Executive Yuan has approved modifications to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, which mandates that legislators seek prior authorisation before travelling to China, as reported by the Taipei Times.

The Executive Yuan has approved modifications to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, which mandates that legislators seek prior authorisation before travelling to China, as reported by the Taipei Times. According to the draft changes, civil servants ranked below grade 10 who are not engaged in classified work will need to get approval from their respective agencies before travelling to China. Legislators, as well as those privy to or in possession of state secrets, must obtain consent from a joint review committee made up of representatives from the Ministry of the Interior, National Security Bureau, Ministry of Justice, Mainland Affairs Council, and other pertinent agencies, as noted by the Taipei Times.

The amendments would also require elected officials to publicly reveal all interactions with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as well as any Chinese government, military, administrative, or other politically linked organisations during their visits. Upon their return to Taiwan, they would need to provide details such as the time, location, reason, and substance of these interactions to the appropriate authority, which would then be responsible for making this information public, as reported by the Taipei Times. In addition, individuals who have previously held certain positions would be barred from participating in Chinese government or military ceremonies or activities that diminish national dignity, as well as events organised by CCP entities that promote the reduction or elimination of Taiwan's sovereignty. Those designated under the Classified National Security Information Protection Act as handling classified information, or who become aware of, possess, or safeguard state secrets while performing their duties, could face fines ranging from NT$2 million to NT$10 million (approximately US$63,580 to US$317,899) for unauthorised travel to China, according to the Taipei Times.

The purpose of these changes is to combat the CCP's increasing "united front" strategies and infiltration efforts aimed at Taiwan, thereby protecting national security and stability, as stated by the Cabinet. The current regulations regarding public employees' travel to China are viewed as inadequate, especially for those involved in national security or with access to classified information, it commented, according to the Taipei Times. The information about interactions between elected officials and China also suffers from a lack of transparency, which restricts public oversight, it added. The proposed amendments will be forwarded to the Legislative Yuan for review, as reported by the Taipei Times. (ANI)

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