《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》Groups call for MAC to halt talks during probe

FALLOUT: While official investigations into the alleged leaking of secrets is ongoing, critics have called for an overhaul of the cross-strait talks process

Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter

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Following allegations that former Mainland Affairs Council （MAC） deputy minister Chang Hsien-yao （張顯耀） leaked classified negotiation information to China, civic groups yesterday panned the government’s handling of the issue, calling on MAC Minister Wang Yu-chi （王郁琦） to step down and demanding that all cross-strait talks be suspended and re-examined.

“Since the case is still under investigation, we do not know whether Chang actually leaked classified information to Chinese negotiators, but whether it is true or not, the incident shows that the government is involved in abuse of power,” Huang Kuo-chang （黃國昌）, a cofounder of Taiwan March and an Academia Sinica associate research fellow, told a news conference in Taipei. “If the accusations are true, then it was absolutely abuse of power that Wang tried to take care of the issue in private and endorsed Chang to serve as chairman of a state-run business.”

“On the other hand, if the accusations are false, it is a serious issue because investigators and prosecutors are involved in a political struggle within the council,” he said.

Huang called on the government to suspend all ongoing talks until a thorough investigation on the alleged leak is completed, and, if required, to protest China’s possible attempt to pry information from one of Taiwan’s top negotiators.

Huang said the case shows that concerns expressed by the Sunflower movement are valid, and that a general monitoring mechanism for cross-strait dealings is important.

Democracy Tautin spokesperson Wu Cheng （吳崢） said he is worried about the government’s handling of classified information in cross-strait talks.

“During the Sunflower movement, Wang repeatedly told the public that cross-strait agreements, including the services trade agreement, will benefit Taiwan a lot,” Wu said. “However, only half a year later, he is telling us that the top negotiator was involved in leaking information to his Chinese counterparts.”

Wu then called on Wang to step down over the incident.

Taiwan Association of University Professors president Lu Chung-chin （呂忠津） said that if Chang was paid by Beijing to leak information, he might not be the only Taiwanese negotiator to have done so.

“This is a national security issue,” Lu said. “The Legislative Yuan should immediately reject the cross-strait service trade agreement.”

Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） Legislator Chen Ken-te （陳根德） also called on Wang to step down, saying that the way he handled the case has damaged cross-strait relations, and more damage could be caused if he stays on.

（Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan）

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES