Culture Minister Lee Yung-te says that the government will revise a law governing Chinese publications after gathering public opinions on the matter. Lee was speaking Monday in an interview.
Lee said the sale and authorized printing of Chinese publications in Taiwan is currently governed by Article 37 of the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area. This article was mandated in 1993 by the now-defunct Government Information Office.
However, Lee said, that because it has been nearly three decades since Article 37 came into force, “outdated” sections will be revised based on the principle of “precise regulation and low-level management.”
The preliminary plan is to require permission to print or sell books by the Chinese Communist Party or the Chinese military.
Lee said that requiring government permission is the embodiment of a defensive mechanism to prevent China from launching a “cultural attack” against Taiwan, and is not censorship.