In response to China's increasing attempts to unify Taiwan, President Lai Ching-te confirmed 17 measures during a national security meeting, emphasizing that all public officials must ensure 'information disclosure and transparency' when engaging with China. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) promptly proposed a legal amendment bill to revise both the Cross-Strait Relations Act and the Hong Kong-Macau Relations Act, which has been submitted for review by the Executive Yuan.

Moving forward, all levels of public officials, including village chiefs and grassroots civil servants, will be required to apply for approval before traveling to China, Hong Kong, or Macau. Currently, the Cross-Strait Relations Act only mandates reporting for specific high-ranking officials and national security-related personnel, excluding those ranked below level 10. However, these grassroots officials frequently handle sensitive information related to household registration, health insurance, and land administration, posing significant risks of infiltration.

The MAC plans to manage all levels of public officials comprehensively, with standardized penalties for violations. Unauthorized trips to China could result in fines of up to NT$10 million.

Earlier this year in March, Lai announced 17 national security strategies, requiring transparency for exchanges between public officials at all levels with China, stating, 'From administrative officials and legislators to village heads, all exchange information should be disclosed to the public to ensure accountability to the citizens.'

According to reports from Kuomintang legislator Chang Chih-lun, 318 public officials have violated regulations by traveling to China in the past decade, with 55 of them being high-ranking supervisors. He criticized that many government agencies fail to conduct proper audits, rendering relevant regulations ineffective and suggesting that the actual figures are likely much higher than those reported. This legal amendment will also simultaneously modify Article 10 of the Hong Kong-Macau Relations Act, subjecting public officials traveling to Hong Kong and Macau to similar regulations outlined in the Cross-Strait Relations Act, eliminating potential bypasses and infiltration risks.

The Executive Yuan has recently ordered all military and public education personnel to refrain from applying for Chinese residence permits. Regarding whether the general public holding Chinese residence permits will be subject to regulation, the MAC previously stated that it would consider legislative amendments, but this current bill does not cover that aspect.