Taiwanese government proposes disclosure mechanism for China travel
The mechanism applies to government officials travelling to the Chinese mainland
Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) seeks to propose amendments echoing President William Lai’s call for a disclosure mechanism covering Taiwanese officials travelling to China.
Lai called for such a tool on Thursday, 13th March, as a way of ensuring that national and local government officials visiting China for exchanges remain transparent and accountable to their constituents.
During a news conference, Lai declared: “From government officials to elected representatives, from legislators to village and borough wardens, all should make their information exchanges with the Mainland public and transparent for accountability.”
The Taiwanese President added that this mechanism aims to prevent Beijing from interfering in his country’s affairs of state.
Working on proposals
As of Saturday, 15th March, DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu advised the public that party legislators are working with government officials, particularly those involved in national security, to enact Lai’s 17 proposals.
Wu added that the caucus already drafted bills for some of these proposals, while others remain under discussion.
Taiwan’s legislators need to put national security as the top priority, particularly in the face of Mainland China’s increasingly aggressive attempts to infiltrate Taiwanese society.
Once these changes are implemented, officials at the municipal and county levels will be required to obtain approval from the national government before traveling to China.
Meanwhile, mainland affairs council minister Chiu Chui-cheng urged ordinary Taiwanese citizens on Friday, 14th March, to report to the government before traveling to China to protect their safety.
