Will Taiwan adopt new anti-Communist law?

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‍By CGTN's The Point

“This is clearly a directive to people who are more friendly to the Chinese mainland and designed to send out deterrence and threats to those who do not hold the same view of cross-Strait relations as the current DPP government,” said former Taiwan legislator Joanna Lei on CGTN’s The Point.

Her comments come after a legislator with Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party – led by Tsai Ing-wen – proposed an amendment to the self-governed island’s criminal code earlier this month, saying any citizen of Taiwan who joins the Communist Party or People’s Liberation Army can be charged with treason.

Wang Ding-yu, who made the proposal, would change the definition of treason, Lei said, adding that his piece of legislation could have “really grave consequences going forward.”

“He has expanded the boundary of what colluding with a foreign state during war or near a war situation can be and should be,” she argued. “This definition of the criminal code from Article 103-115 carries very severe punishments.”

These punishments include life imprisonment and the death penalty. According to the Article, anyone accused of preparing or conspiring to commit treason can face up to 10 years in prison.

When asked if threatened by the proposal, Wang Yuqing, a student from Taiwan who is pursuing his PhD in International Relations at Peking University and is considering joining the Communist Party, dismissed the proposed amendment, saying it was the “wrong calculation” for the DPP.

“Public opinion in Taiwan is respectful to the freedom of people and political conviction,” said Wang, adding that more conflicts within Taiwan’s society could be expected if the amendment was adopted.

Wang said he believed the amendment likely wouldn’t pass the next step, but Lei disagreed, explaining legislative reality.

“The proposal has already been passed by the law committee and will be subject to approval for the second debatable reading in which the DPP that has majority rule will take over,” she said, noting that the third reading is basically about the verbatim.

“So there is the likelihood it will pass, unless there is overwhelming objection from the people,” she said. “There is a lot of public outcry, however, and it hasn’t gathered a political strength in legislation.”

The Point with Liu Xin is a 30-minute current affairs program on CGTN. It airs weekdays at 9.30 p.m. BJT (1330GMT), with rebroadcasts at 5.30 a.m. (2130GMT) and 10.30 a.m. (0230GMT).

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