Taiwan Legislature urged to probe Hung over Beijing parade

Taipei, Sept. 4 (CNA) Taiwan's top cross-strait affairs agency on Thursday urged the Legislature to investigate whether former deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) violated Taiwanese law by attending China's military parade in Beijing a day earlier.

At a Cabinet news briefing in Taipei, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung (沈有忠) acknowledged that it was difficult for the agency to determine whether Hung, who attended the Chinese authorities' display of military forces in a private capacity, had violated the nation's law.

Hung, who served as deputy legislative speaker from 2012 to 2016 under former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and later chaired the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) from 2016 to 2017, was among several KMT politicians present at the event.

Shen said Wednesday's parade, along with other upcoming events Beijing has planned to mark the end of World War II following Japan's surrender, could serve as platforms for "united front efforts targeting Taiwan."

The government maintains that sitting central and local government officials are prohibited from attending such events, Shen said, citing the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area.

Under Article 9-3 of the act, the official continued, individuals who have previously held positions related to intelligence, the military, foreign affairs, or other national security roles shall not participate in the events.

Article 33-1 also stipulates that individuals are prohibited from "cooperating" with Chinese political or military organizations in ways that "affect [Taiwan's] national security or interests" without prior approval from Taiwanese authorities.

However, Shen contended that the MAC did not have the discretion to determine whether Hung violated the law, attributing the agency's inability to act to "a lot of gray areas" in the current legislation.

Whether Hung's activities during her trip to China constitute "cooperative behaviour" with Beijing that "endangers [Taiwan's] national interests" must be decided by the government body she previously served -- in this case, the Legislative Yuan, he added

The official urged the Legislature to investigate the matter and said that the MAC would "fully cooperate."

If such an investigation finds that Hung violated the regulations, she will face a fine ranging from NT$100,000 (US$3,258) to NT$500,000, he added.

Taiwan's government had previously warned incumbent and former senior officials and servicemen against attending Beijing's military parade, citing potential legal violations, but Shen's comments on Thursday indicated that, under current law, the government has limited ability to enforce the warning.

Shen said the MAC would seek to address the "shortcomings" by consulting with lawmakers across party lines on the possibility of amending the legislation.