The Epoch Times Protesters display placards during a demonstration in support of the continuing protests taking place in Hong Kong against a controversial extradition law proposal in Taipei, on June 16, 2019. (Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images)
Date: June 19, 2019
By: Eva Fu
Concerns over ideological infiltration from Beijing has led Taiwan’s lawmakers to speak out.
At a press conference on June 17, members of the self-ruled island’s unicameral legislature known as the Legislative Yuan told reporters that they wanted more transparency in the financial disclosures of “foreign political forces.”
Legislation
The legislators said that China’s infiltration in Taiwan was so pervasive that it can be observed in all levels: from religious settings, media, to education. They called for a law modeled after similar “foreign agent registration” laws in the United States and Australia to counter foreign political influence in the region.
They are planning to introduce legislation that would require entities that have connections with a government outside of Taiwan to disclose their funding sources.
Despite the island being a de-facto independent country with its own democratically-elected government, military force, and currency, Beijing continues to consider Taiwan part of its own territory and conducts influence campaigns in an effort to persuade Taiwanese citizens to accept a future in which the island is ‘unified’ with the mainland–infiltrating local media, political parties, and youth groups. [FULL STORY]
