Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te called on the island’s governing party on July 19 to unite against what he described as communist China’s “red terror,” warning that democratic Taiwan must never be turned into “China’s Taiwan.”
Speaking at the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) national convention, Lai pointed to China’s newly enacted Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law as an escalation in Beijing’s campaign to bring the self-governed island under its control.
The law represents a move by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from “opposing independence” toward “forced unification” under the guise of ethnic unity, Lai said.
He accused Beijing of trying to place Taiwan within its ethnic policy system, expand legal pursuit beyond China’s borders, and pressure people into censoring themselves.
Lai said his government would establish prevention strategies, countermeasures, and protection mechanisms and deepen cooperation with other democracies.
‘Ethnic Unity’ Law
China’s National People’s Congress passed the law on March 12, and it took effect on July 1.
The full legal text places ethnic affairs policy under Chinese Communist Party leadership and directs government agencies, schools, media outlets, businesses, religious organizations, families, and internet platforms to promote a state-defined Chinese national identity.
One provision instructs Chinese authorities to expand exchanges with Taiwan and strengthen Taiwanese people’s sense of belonging to and identification with what the law calls the “Chinese nation.”
It also calls for promoting the position that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the same Chinese nation and are both Chinese.
Article 63 states that organizations and individuals outside China may be held legally responsible for conduct directed against China that Beijing defines as damaging ethnic unity or creating ethnic division.
The provision does not specify what penalties would apply or how Chinese authorities would enforce such claims in other countries.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said the law attempts to use Chinese domestic legislation to exercise long-arm jurisdiction and transnational repression against people in Taiwan and other countries. The ministry also warned that its broadly worded restrictions could encourage self-censorship.
Beijing and Taipei are technically still at war, as the Chinese Civil War never formally ended with a peace treaty or armistice. Taiwan continues to have its own elected government, military, currency, and legal system. However, Beijing claims the island as part of China and has not ruled out using force to bring it under its control. Taiwan rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claim.
Legislative Countermeasures
Lai did not specify the planned safeguards in his speech, but DPP lawmakers have proposed a three-part resolution outlining possible responses.
The resolution condemns the Chinese law and calls on Taiwan’s government to review its legal protections, penalize unlawful acts of assistance, strengthen risk warnings for travel to China and other countries, and help Taiwanese citizens and organizations assess potential dangers.
It identifies travelers, companies, academics, and civic groups among those facing possible risks. It also calls for cooperation with like-minded countries against attempts by authoritarian governments to extend political control beyond their borders.
Taiwan’s Executive Yuan is the Cabinet, and the Legislative Yuan is the national legislature. Lai’s DPP controls the presidency, while the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP)—who support eventual cross-strait unification—hold a legislative majority.
An initial attempt to place the resolution on the legislative agenda failed on July 3, when KMT and TPP lawmakers voted against the DPP caucus’s motion, preventing discussion at that sitting.
The same proposal was subsequently placed on the plenary agenda. The Legislative Yuan’s procedural record says lawmakers moved it directly to a second reading and referred it to cross-party negotiations on July 14.
The record listed the resolution for plenary discussion on July 17 and July 21.
Existing Protections
Lawmakers have separately questioned government officials about protections that could be implemented without waiting for the resolution.
During a July 1 hearing, DPP lawmaker Lin Chu-yin asked officials to assess the risks facing ordinary travelers, diplomats, military personnel, civil-society groups, and others who could be targeted while overseas.
Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung said his agency would work with the Foreign Ministry and Taiwan’s overseas representative offices to assess risks in countries that have legal assistance or extradition arrangements with China, or close diplomatic ties to Beijing. The government could raise travel risk warnings where necessary, he said.
Defense Minister Wellington Koo said military personnel posted abroad already receive training in communications security, counter-surveillance, and risk assessment.
Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi said the Foreign Ministry would coordinate with foreign governments and other Taiwanese agencies to protect officials and ordinary citizens traveling overseas.
In a separate July 6 hearing, National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen said the bureau was monitoring the CCP’s actions relating to the new law and would increase public awareness of the national-security risks during travel and other exchanges with China.
The DPP resolution remains in cross-party negotiations, leaving lawmakers to decide whether to advance its proposed legal reviews, travel warnings, penalties, and overseas protections.
