CHINESE FUNDING: A DPP legislator warned of the risks of allowing May Chin to remain as a lawmaker after she was indicted on national security and corruption charges
- By Fang Wei-li, Hsu Yung-chin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
A security expert yesterday called for the passage of a “foreign agent” law, warning that the Legislative Yuan lacks adequate safeguards against leaks.
Taiwan National Security Institute deputy secretary-general Ho Cheng-hui (何澄輝) made the remarks in the wake of the indictment of independent Legislator May Chin (高金素梅), her former office director Chang Chun-chieh (張俊傑) and two others for allegedly breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例).
The Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office indicted the four for allegedly accepting more than NT$170 million (US$5.19 million) in Chinese funding between 2005 and 2016, and arranged for people to travel to China for training on “united front work” before influencing their indigenous communities, allegedly with the aim of using them as a “fifth column.”
The national flags of Taiwan, right, and China are displayed in an illustration taken on April 28, 2022.Photo: Reuters
Prosecutors are seeking 14 years in prison for Chin and 15 years for Chang, who jumped bail in September.
Ho cited the UK’s National Security Act 2023 as an example of legislation to counter foreign interference, highlighting the need for oversight of lawmakers and their aides.
The UK legislation followed growing concerns about foreign interference, including the case of British-Chinese lawyer Christine Lee (李貞駒). In January 2022, MI5 issued an unprecedented “interference alert” to British lawmakers, warning that Lee had cultivated ties with serving and prospective members of Parliament and facilitated political donations from sources in China and Hong Kong.
MI5 said she was involved in political interference on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) United Front Work Department.
Chang’s escape from Taiwan exposed loopholes that foreign adversaries could exploit, Ho said.
Chang jumped bail in September and allegedly fled Taiwan by boarding a boat in Keelung, media reports said.
Taiwan should comprehensively review institutional and systemic vulnerabilities and take steps to close them, Ho said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday morning warned of the risks of Chin continuing as a legislator.
An indictment does not necessarily mean a person is guilty, as Taiwan is a nation ruled by law, and Chin is not obligated to resign after being indicted, Lin said.
The problem is that she remains in the Legislative Yuan and even serves on the Internal Administration Committee, Lin said.
Through her position, she can access information on civil defense deployments, as well as classified defense and national security budgets, Lin added.
“Prosecutors have alleged that she exchanged information with the CCP and acted under Beijing’s direction, yet we have no measures in place to guard against these risks,” Lin said.
The case illustrated the importance of requiring legislators to report trips to China, allowing investigators to know which places they have visited and whom they have contacted, making it harder for Chinese collaborators to operate openly, Lin said.