Taipei: The Legislature's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee passed a motion on Monday condemning China's attempts at exerting "long-arm jurisdiction" over Taiwanese citizens accused of being military intelligence workers. The motion, introduced by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, criticized recent actions by China's provincial governments, which included offering cash bounties for information leading to the arrest of alleged psychological operations officers in Taiwan. The committee described these actions as a serious violation of Taiwan's sovereignty.
According to Focus Taiwan, the motion emphasized that China "has no jurisdiction" over the people of Taiwan and reiterated Taiwan's stance against Beijing's jurisdictional claims. DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu, convenor of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, spearheaded the motion, receiving endorsement from three other DPP lawmakers. The motion passed unanimously with six committee members present, while members from the opposition Kuomintang and Taiwan People's Party were absent.
During the session, the committee also unanimously passed a separate motion initiated by Wang, which condemned China's interpretation of United Nations Resolution 2758, used by Beijing to support its sovereignty claim over Taiwan. The motions were triggered by an Oct. 11 notice from China's Xiamen City public security bureau. The notice publicized the names, photographs, and Taiwan identification numbers of 18 individuals alleged to be part of a "psychological warfare unit" within the Taiwanese military, offering a cash reward for information leading to their arrest for "separatist activities."
In a similar move on June 5, China offered bounties for information leading to the arrest of 20 Taiwanese individuals labeled as "military hackers." Taiwan's top intelligence chief last month described these notices as part of China's "cognitive warfare." National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen stated that China's allegations consisted of both publicly available information and falsehoods, without confirming whether the individuals listed were indeed psychological operations officers in Taiwan's military.
On Nov. 19, the Legislature's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee also condemned a criminal investigation initiated by China into DPP Legislator Puma Shen, who was accused of "secession-related" activities advocating for Taiwan's independence.