Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

DPP proposes bill to update collusion law

Taipei Times

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) and other lawmakers have proposed amendments to the Criminal Code defining four crimes of collusion with foreign powers.

As collusion, which is currently not well-defined under the law, carries a severe penalty, judges tend not to invoke it, Shen said.

After consulting with the National Security Bureau, he and other DPP members have proposed defining four types of criminal behavior that would fall under the category of collusion.

Being ready for China’s aggression

Taipei Times Editorial

Four days after Double Ten National Day, China announced a new round of military exercises around Taiwan titled “Joint Sword-2024B.” As the name implies, Monday’s exercises are a follow-up to its “Joint Sword-2024A” exercises in May, which were ostensibly a response to the content of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration speech, but, as the title suggests, were intended to routinize large-scale military exercises around Taiwan.

International observers in general viewed Lai’s National Day speech as restrained and measured.

“Lai’s speech demonstrated restraint, refraining from breaking new ground, repeating well-known positions,” Council on Foreign Relations research fellow David Sacks said.

US official lauds Taiwan’s resilience

Taipei Times

The US “strongly supports” Taiwan to enhance its whole-of-society resilience, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China, Taiwan and Mongolia Michael Chase said at the Global Taiwan Institute’s annual symposium in Washington on Wednesday, adding that the Legislative Yuan should approve the Executive Yuan’s military budget in favor of “Taiwan’s military defense modernization.”

“Taiwan must be able to deter, degrade and delay potential Chinese aggressions,” even though a cross-strait conflict is neither imminent nor inevitable, Chase said in his closing remarks.

“We support Taiwan’s military in its efforts to acquire asymmetric [warfare] capabilities that are low-cost, mobile, distributed, resilient and lethal,” he said.

Tsai speech should resonate in Prague

Chang Meng-jen 張孟仁

Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) this week attended the Forum 2000 Conference in Prague after landing in the Czech Republic, the first destination of her first overseas trip since concluding her second term in office in May.

The country is not a surprising choice. Taiwan-Czech relations have taken a great leap forward, since Czech prime minister Andrej Babis’ administration from 2017 to 2021. Huge progress was made during Tsai’s time in office.

Her trip was intended to express Taiwan’s gratitude to the Czech Republic, while also achieving two diplomatic goals.

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