離開
進入《TAIPEI TIMES》Chinese spouse to lose residency after ruling
Chinese immigrant Zhou Manzhi is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times
HUGE IMPACT:‘The ruling would have a tremendous impact on investigations of national security cases in the future,’ MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh said
By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
Chinese immigrant Zhou Manzhi （周滿芝） would soon have her status as a Taiwanese resident revoked after her conviction for contravening the National Security Act （國安法） became final on Wednesday, the Mainland Affairs Council （MAC） said yesterday.
Zhou, who became a Taiwanese resident through marriage in 2003, was in January sentenced by the Kaohsiung branch of the High Court to eight years in prison for creating immigrant associations sponsored by Chinese “united front” groups and promoting China’s “one country, two systems” agenda.
The court overturned its previous acquittal after the Supreme Court remanded the case for retrial.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court dismissed Zhou’s appeal, making the judgement final.
“The ruling would have a tremendous impact on investigations of national security cases in the future,” MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh （梁文傑） said. “Prosecutors pressed charges against many similar cases in the past after years of investigations, only to be later dismissed by the court. The people often find it difficult to accept grounds for dismissal.”
The Supreme Court accepted the High Court’s argument that many registered private groups in China are practically controlled by the Chinese government, Liang said.
The ruling would provide a major boost to prosecutors and investigators handling national security cases and help reverse years of overly lenient enforcement, Liang said.
Zhou’s residency status would also be revoked in accordance with the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area （臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例）, he added.
As for Chinese motorcycle manufacturer ZXMOTO’s （張雪機車） plan to open retail stores in Taiwan, Liang said that the policy of restricting the import of Chinese motor vehicles and auto parts has been implemented for years by the Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） and Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） governments.
Chinese businesses planning to invest in Taiwan would be subject to stricter review, he said.
ZXMOTO’s ultimate parent company is part of Zhejiang Province’s state-owned enterprise system and is indirectly owned by entities including the Zhejiang Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Liang said.
If the company seeks to invest and establish operations in Taiwan, its investment proposal would be subject to the review mechanism for investments by enterprises controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese government or the Chinese military, Liang said.
“It is not that long-standing policy can never be changed. However, any policy adjustment must first go through the required administrative procedures, including consultations with industry representatives and a government assessment of its impact on domestic manufacturers,” he said.
Liang also explained why the council approved Zhejiang-based Loong Air’s （長龍航空） launch of Taichung-Chengdu flights next week.
“Taichung and Chengdu are designated airports for cross-strait flights. The number of weekly flights it would offer remains within the flight allocation under the cross-strait air traffic rights agreement. The airline has secured the permission to launch flights as well,” Liang said.
The airline is not likely to increase flights, as China has used up the cross-strait flights allocated by Taiwan, he added.
Separately, the Maritime and Port Bureau issued navigation warnings after China announced that it is to conduct live-fire exercises in two areas of the Taiwan Strait for a second consecutive day.
China’s Maritime Safety Administration said the exercises would take place from 6am to 6pm yesterday and today in waters off Dongshan Island in China’s Fujian Province.
The exercise zones are about 57.6 nautical miles （106.68km） from Kinmen County, 103 nautical miles from Penghu County and 55.8 nautical miles west of the median line of the Taiwan Strait, the bureau said.
It said the drills are not expected to affect vessels navigating Taiwan’s waters, adding that operations at Taiwan’s commercial ports remain normal.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
