《TAIPEI TIMES》 Chinese bill aims to suppress dissent, academics say

By Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA

The Chinese Communist Party’s （CCP） plan to implement a People’s Republic of China patriotism education act targeting Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong is aimed at suppressing political opinions it opposes inside and outside of China, Taiwanese academics said yesterday.

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The draft act was first proposed for review by the Chinese National People’s Congress on Monday, the China News Service reported.

“The [Chinese] state will take measures to enact historical and cultural education, and educate people on the condition of the nation, to allow more people in the special regions of Hong Kong, Macau and our compatriots in Taiwan to recognize and identify with the state, and the traditional zhonghua [Chinese, 中華] culture, allowing them to consciously uphold the unification of the country, and the unity of the people,” a draft article says.

In Taipei, Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association member Wang Chih-sheng （王智盛） said that China has adopted this mindset for the “Taiwan issue,” with its emphasis on both sides observing the same traditions to strengthen their historical ties.

Passing legislation on this facet would provide Chinese government agencies with a legal basis to promote more “united front” rhetoric against Taiwan, Wang added.

Cross-Strait Policy Association researcher Wu Se-chih （吳瑟致） said that the draft legislation attempts to consolidate efforts to fan patriotism among people and indoctrinate Chinese that “Taiwan is part of China.”

Legalizing such concepts is mostly a propaganda effort directed toward Chinese and would have little to no effect on how Taiwanese identify themselves, Wu said.

Hong Kong has also stepped up “patriotic education” in recent years to reinforce Hong Kongers’ identification with China and the Chinese identity, Wu said.

It is evident from the CCP’s slew of legislation, such as the Anti-espionage Act （反間諜法） and the proposed bill, that Beijing is seeking to suppress any dissenting voices within China, Wu said, adding that the government should issue a warning that Taiwanese traveling to China might be at risk.

The Mainland Affairs Council had yet to comment on the issue as of press time.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES