Premier Su Tseng-chang says it’s imperative that lawmakers push a proposed anti-infiltration bill through the legislature. His comments came Thursday during a Cabinet meeting.
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is planning to push the draft bill through the legislature by the end of the year. The bill is aimed at curbing Chinese infiltration into Taiwan.
Su said Taiwan is not the only country threatened by the rise of China; other countries have raised the alarm too. Su said the United States, Britain and Australia have all introduced legislation to curb Chinese infiltration.
Su said Taiwan is on the front lines when it comes to coping with Chinese aggression. Therefore, he said, the anti-infiltration bill is crucial to Taiwan’s national security and the well-being of its people.
The premier, however, urged the Cabinet to do a better job of communicating with the public in order to ease unnecessary concerns. He said those doing business or working in China can rest assured that the anti-infiltration bill is not going to affect normal cross-strait exchanges.
The legislature has invited the opposition to discuss the draft bill on Friday.
Also on Thursday, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said the anti-infiltration bill is aimed at criminal acts, and does not target specific individuals. The MAC also said that government agencies will only have the right to raise the alert about a case, and that it will be up to the judiciary to hand down a ruling.