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Taiwan advisor urges proactive response to China's legal warfare

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Taiwan's National Security Council advisor Lin Chih-chieh criticized China's escalating legal warfare, which she says exploits democratic principles to undermine the rule of law.
  • Lin highlighted China's long-term strategy of cultivating legal talent for cross-border operations and using data privacy laws for cognitive warfare.
  • She urged Taiwan to proactively counter China's digital governance and sovereignty claims, suggesting a shift in policy terminology and targeted digital regulation.

China's escalating legal warfare is a calculated strategy that "uses the rule of law against the rule of law and claims democracy to oppose democracy," according to Lin Chih-chieh, a national security advisor to Taiwan's president. Lin's remarks came during a security forum focused on China's "legal warfare" against Taiwan, particularly in light of China's recent implementation of the "Law on the Promotion of National Unity and Progress."

uses the rule of law against the rule of law and claims democracy to oppose democracy

— Lin Chih-chiehTaiwan's National Security Council advisor criticizing China's legal warfare strategy.

Lin detailed China's nearly two-decade-long campaign, which includes systematically cultivating talent in "foreign-related laws" through extensive support for overseas students. She also pointed to China's "Personal Information Protection Law" as a seemingly reasonable measure that actually legitimizes state intrusion into citizens' privacy. Furthermore, Lin identified China's Supreme People's Court "Film and Television Center" as a core component of its cognitive warfare operations.

Challenging the notion of influencing China through legal means, Lin stated that China's constitution explicitly rejects the separation of powers and judicial independence, effectively negating the principle of the rule of law. She warned that Taiwanese legal professionals who believe they can "reform" their Chinese counterparts are being unrealistic, citing instances where Chinese lawyers advocating for citizens' rights have had their licenses revoked.

Taiwan's legal professionals who believe they can "reform" their Chinese counterparts are being unrealistic

— Lin Chih-chiehTaiwan's National Security Council advisor warning against naive approaches to dealing with China's legal system.

Given Taiwan's current political landscape, Lin acknowledged the difficulty of passing necessary legislation to counter these threats. She emphasized the reality of an ongoing "war" and called for proactive government measures. Lin suggested targeted digital governance, citing the Ministry of the Interior's blocking of the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu as an example. Additionally, she proposed that Taiwan should refer to its policy as "China policy" rather than the "One China policy" to counter Beijing's distorted narrative surrounding UN Resolution 2758.

war has already existed

— Lin Chih-chiehTaiwan's National Security Council advisor emphasizing the reality of an ongoing conflict with China.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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