Former Kuomintang (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu arrived in Beijing on the 1st and is set to attend the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) military parade on the 3rd, marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan. Concerned groups in Taiwan have criticized Hung’s participation, along with other party leaders from the New Party, Labor Party, and Unionist Party who are attending the CCP’s military display. They view this action as tantamount to betraying the country.
The Mainland Affairs Council of the Republic of China reiterated that in order to prevent the CCP from using such events for united front operations against Taiwan, the government prohibits central and local government officials from attending the CCP’s 93rd military parade and related official activities. Those who have held specific roles in defense, foreign affairs, cross-strait affairs, or national security agencies are also banned from participating, with violations subject to legal consequences.
The Taiwan Economic Democracy Union (TEDU) released a statement today condemning former Legislative Yuan Vice President Hung Hsiu-chu for disregarding advice from relevant authorities and persisting in attending the 93rd military parade in China. Hung claimed her actions are in line with the spirit of the War of Resistance, yet the so-called “93rd military parade” by the CCP is not merely a historical commemoration but a showcase of military strength aimed at bolstering the CCP’s expansionist agenda and narrative of “unifying” Taiwan, which in reality signifies annexation.
TEDU strongly criticizes Hung Hsiu-chu and other party leaders for their presence at the CCP’s military display, warning that their actions could be misconstrued as endorsing CCP’s sovereignty claims over Taiwan. They emphasize that as party leaders, their attendance inevitably risks being interpreted as representing some Taiwanese people’s acceptance of CCP’s territorial assertions, thus amounting to treason.
According to TEDU, the CCP’s “93rd military parade” serves as a display of military power to support their narrative of hegemonic expansion and Taiwan’s “unification.” Xi Jinping’s recent letter to Russian media linking the victory in the War of Resistance to the “unification of Taiwan” is an attempt to suppress Taiwan’s sovereignty and discourse internationally, providing legal and symbolic support for the forced unification (or rather, annexation) of both sides of the strait.
“Former Legislative Yuan Vice President Hung Hsiu-chu and some party leaders attending the event in China are essentially endorsing a change in current conditions through force, undermining Taiwan’s democracy, rule of law, and national security,” states TEDU, urging all sectors of society to reject any legitimization of CCP’s coercive actions towards Taiwan.
In the eyes of TEDU, if ordinary citizens attend the CCP’s 93rd military parade, it may be considered a personal choice or an unauthorized political cooperation, subject to administrative penalties under the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area. However, for current party chairpersons and former Legislative Yuan Vice Presidents of democratic Taiwan to participate in the CCP’s military parade, their actions risk being misconstrued as endorsing CCP’s sovereignty claims over Taiwan. Such political implications are well known, and Hung Hsiu-chu, along with other party leaders, is fully aware that their actions amount to treason.
TEDU points out that the offense of foreign aggression is established to prevent actions harmful to national sovereignty and territorial integrity from external forces or collusion with external powers. If there are infringements on the national interests, theoretically, they should fall under the purview of the offense of foreign aggression.
Furthermore, TEDU notes that though there were past disputes over whether mainland China should be considered a target for the offense of foreign aggression due to bilateral positioning issues in the Taiwan Strait, the 2019 amendment to the Criminal Code added Article 115-1 stating that the offenses under this chapter also apply to actions involving the mainland region, Hong Kong, Macau, foreign hostile forces, or their operatives.
Moreover, TEDU mentions that Article 104 Section 1 of the Criminal Code stipulates that those conspiring with foreign countries or their operatives to make the territory of the Republic of China belong to that country or another face the death penalty or life imprisonment. In light of this, conspiring with the CCP regime or its operatives with the intent to subordinate Taiwan to the regime should constitute a conspiracy depriving Taiwan of sovereignty under Article 104 Section 1 of the Criminal Code.