《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 MND deputy meet with Chinese officials queried

By Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Lawmakers yesterday demanded an investigation into a possible breach of national security by Deputy Minister of National Defense Andrew Hsia （夏立言）, as media reports alleged that Hsia attended a dinner with family relatives from China, who included senior Chinese military and government figures.

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Hsia was alleged to host the soiree with a group of seven Chinese visitors in Taipei on Saturday last week, the Chinese-language Apple Daily reported yesterday, adding the main dinner guests from China were Shen Liejin （申列京） and his wife, Wang Haipo （王海波）.

The Apple Daily reported that Shen is Hsia’s cousin and that he is the Chinese Communist Party general-secretary of the Municipal Supervisory Board for Food and Drugs for Yusi City in Yunnan Province, while Wang had retired as deputy commander for the Guided Missiles Regiment of the People’s Liberation Army’s （PLA） Second Artillery Force.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Huang-liang （蔡煌瑯） yesterday urged the National Security Bureau to conduct an investigation immediately, along with relevant agencies, to find out if Taiwan’s military intelligence and national security had been compromised.

“How can the deputy defense minister make private contacts with senior Chinese officials and PLA officers? He has set a very bad example for all military officers,” Tsai said, adding that Hsia should be suspended from his position while the investigation is ongoing.

Regulations forbid officers of the nation’s armed forces discussing topics involving government issues, official functions and classified information when dealing with Chinese citizens.

An official from the National Security Bureau said they are still examining evidence they have gathered to determine if Hsia had leaked military intelligence to China, but Hsia’s improper conduct had already raised concerns because he did not seek official authorization prior to the dinner function.

Hsia yesterday denied the media allegations.

“The seven Chinese visitors, five adults and two children, were my relatives from China. My Hsia family clan wanted to meet up with them, so my elder brother hosted the dinner gathering at the Armed Forces Officer’s Club on Saturday last week,” he said. “I did not know the work background of Mr Shen. The dinner chats were about ordinary topics among family and friends. We did not talk about official business.”

“Shen’s wife worked in the accounting section of Yusi City Government’s Urban Planning Bureau. Wang never held an official post in the Guided Missiles Regiment of the PLA Second Artillery Force,” he added. “The report in the Apple Daily is regrettable. It did not check on the facts and it got some information wrong.”

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES