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Taiwan considers opening Kaohsiung Military Academy to Chinese tourists


TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday it was considering whether to open a military academy in Kaohsiung to Chinese tourists following a decision by an opposition lawmaker.

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday it was considering whether to open a military academy in Kaohsiung to Chinese tourists after an opposition lawmaker made the proposal to boost tourism.

However, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement that relevant laws need to be amended before the ROC Military Academy can allow tourists from across the strait to visit.

It added that the government should also consider the possible negative impact if it ultimately decides to open the military academy to Chinese tourists.

The Defense Ministry’s comments were in response to a proposal by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Xu Zhijie.

According to Xu, the academy, formerly known as the Whampoa Military Academy, which the ROC government still maintains in China, will become a popular tourist attraction for Chinese tourists.

However, the current “Taiwan Area-Mainland Area People Relations Act” prohibits Chinese tourists from visiting sensitive military installations during their trip to Taiwan.

Xu said both local residents and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Zhu had previously called on the military to open the academy, but the Defense Ministry has repeatedly rejected the request, citing security reasons.

Members of the Democratic Progressive Party therefore proposed to amend the current law to pave the way for the establishment of academies. However, the Department of Defense urged members of Congress to be cautious about opening the academy, given that members of Congress have previously expressed concerns about national security issues with Chinese nationals in Taiwan.

Citing several recent examples of potential security breaches involving Chinese nationals in Taiwan, the defense department called on lawmakers and the central government to think twice before making decisions.

Sensitive issues

The two examples cited by the defense ministry involved an ongoing dock expansion project at Taiping Island in the South China Sea, which is controlled by Taiwan, which had previously been suspended over alleged involvement of Chinese capital in the project.

Another example is Man Ming, a visiting Chinese citizen who is a descendant of a senior PLA officer and has organized a series of events in Taiwan over the past year advocating Taiwan’s unification with China.

The Whampoa Military Academy was established on June 16, 1924 by the Kuomintang government in Guangzhou Province, Mainland China, and was renamed the Republic of China Military Academy on November 5, 1927.

The ROC-accredited school moved to Kaohsiung in 1950 after the ROC military and the Nationalist government moved to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War. The old academy compound in Guangzhou, China is currently a memorial.





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