MAC Press Release No. 016
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued the following press release regarding the decision to fine a Taiwanese citizen over holding an official post in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Tseng Ching-yi is serving as a member of the 14th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in violation of Article 33, Section 2 of the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (hereinafter the "Cross-Strait Act.") The Ministry of the Interior launched an investigation and imposed on Tseng a fine of NT$500,000 on April 7, 2023, in accordance with Article 90, Section 3 of the Cross-Strait Act.
The MAC indicated that the CPPCC at all levels is considered a political organ (institution) or group of which Taiwanese citizens are prohibited from holding positions or serving as members under Article 33, Section 2 of the Cross-Strait Act. The CPPCC’s role, position, and responsibilities as defined in the CCP Constitution and relevant laws are incompatible with Taiwan's free and democratic system. The CCP authorities has been luring Taiwanese citizens into such positions to create role models for their united front propaganda and manufacture an illusion of popular support for unification. The practices of inducing individuals to hold public positions in the CCP against the law are ill-intentioned and will never win approval from the majority of the Taiwanese people.
The CCP has long been suppressing Taiwan with a zero-sum mentality and has refused to renounce the use of force against Taiwan. Moreover, mainland China’s political system and social environment differ vastly from the universal standards recognized by Taiwan and other civilized countries. The MAC reminded Taiwanese citizens working and living in mainland China and engaging in cross-Strait exchange activities that they must always comply with laws and regulations to avoid inadvertently falling into the CCP's united front trap. By assuming positions that may endanger our national security or interests, these individuals could unintentionally break the law and harm their own rights and interests.