Taiwan's DPP lawmaker seeks penalties for collaborating with Chinese political groups

Taipei [Taiwan], March 14 (ANI): A lawmaker from Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has proposed an amendment that would impose penalties on Taiwanese individuals collaborating with Chinese political groups to undermine the country's dignity, Taipei Times reported.

The proposal comes in response to recent incidents where online influencers have shared pro-China content, raising concerns about the influence of Chinese propaganda.

Legislator Chiu Chih-wei has put forward an amendment to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area. Under the proposed changes, individuals working with groups affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to create content that threatens Taiwan's sovereignty or democratic freedoms would face a fine of NTD 50,000, Taipei Times reported.

Chiu explained that current laws are too vague, as they only penalise direct collaboration with the CCP. He noted that while Taiwanese citizens traveling to China are prohibited from endangering national security, they can still "echo" CCP propaganda without facing legal consequences.

The proposed amendment seeks to specify actions that would be prohibited for individuals traveling to China, including working with political, military, or administrative groups that pose a threat to Taiwan's sovereignty. It would also ban advocating for the overthrow or alteration of Taiwan's democratic Constitution, Taipei Times reported.

Chiu further suggested increasing the penalties outlined in Article 91 of the act, which currently start below NTD 10,000. He argued that raising the fines would strengthen deterrence. Additionally, he proposed that penalties be applied for each violation, preventing loopholes that could allow offenders to evade consequences, Taipei Times reported.

The legislator stated that several other lawmakers supported the amendment, and a draft has already been submitted to the Legislative Yuan. He emphasised that clearer legal definitions would ensure better compliance while reaffirming Taiwan's sovereignty and preventing China from exploiting legal ambiguities to undermine the government.

Recently, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defence confirmed a media report stating that a retired Air Force major had disclosed classified documents to Chinese intelligence agents, according to the Taipei Times. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)