Taiwan Investigates Ex-KMT Official Over Pro-China Remarks

Former Mainland Affairs Director Faces Probe After Attending Symposium in Beijing.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council is set to investigate a former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) mainland affairs director for comments made at a recent symposium in China. The official, Huang Ching-hsien (黃清賢), allegedly claimed to represent Taiwanese interests at the event, which commemorated the 20th anniversary of China's "Anti-Secession" Law.

The investigation will focus on whether Huang violated the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area. The council is examining if he colluded with high-ranking members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including military and government officials. The symposium, held in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on March 14th, was attended by prominent CCP figures such as National People’s Congress of China Chairman Zhao Leji (趙樂際), Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅), and others.

Huang, currently the director of the Taiwan Political Research Center at Nankai University in Tianjin, China, reportedly stated that "unification with the motherland" should be achieved peacefully, aligning with the interests of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. He also described the "Anti-Secession" Law as the best means to curb "Taiwanese independence separatists," adding that it authorizes the Chinese government to use non-peaceful measures if necessary.

The Mainland Affairs Council believes Huang's actions may have contravened Article 33-1 of the act, which prohibits cooperation with Chinese entities engaged in political work against Taiwan or affecting national security. The official is expected to return to Taiwan to provide an explanation. Authorities have affirmed their commitment to enforcing cross-strait regulations, with potential consequences including the revocation of Huang's Taiwanese ID card and a demand to leave the country if he holds a household registration in China.