TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Monday (March 13) confirmed that a soldier who went missing on Thursday (March 9) from a base in Kinmen County is in China.

During a meeting of the Internal Administration Committee of the Legislative Yuan, MAC Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) faced questions from legislators about the fate of the missing soldier, who is surnamed Chen (陳), and what government departments are doing to address the situation. Prior to the meeting, Chiu confirmed to the media that Chen is in China.

In the Legislative Yuan session, Chiu said that in addition to launching a search effort for Chen, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) conducted an inventory of equipment, while the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) scanned nearby waters. He said that on Friday evening (March 10) notice was received that Chen was in Xiamen, China.

Legislators questioned whether poor communication channels between Taiwan and China could have led to the inefficient handling of Chen's disappearance. Chiu said the cross-strait situation is "a bit complicated and ambiguous."

However, Chiu stressed that although there is competition and confrontation, the two sides of the strait still have mechanisms for handling matters such as economic and trade exchanges, financial activities, and fighting crime.

Chiu said the status of the soldier and his motive for leaving the base are not yet understood. He said these questions must be addressed and China has an investigative mechanism to deal with this situation.

He said the MND and CGA are both continuing to investigate the incident. On Thursday, the 26-year-old private first class from the Lieyu Garrison Battalion failed to appear during a roll call at his base on Erdan Island and was reported missing.

According to the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces, soldiers who fail to return to their post for more than six days could face up to three years in prison or a maximum of NT$300,000 in fines.