The game of cat and mouse that took place between law enforcement authorities and Rebar Asia Pacific Group Chairman Wang You-theng (
The incident highlighted the praiseworthy efforts of the government to close the net on the hunt for Wang and it just might have a happy ending with justice served. But it is too early too tell.
The nation's law enforcement authorities cannot arrest anyone in the territory of another country. Making such an arrest -- regardless of the seriousness of the crime ? would be an unforgivable violation of the host country's sovereignty and cause an uproar in foreign relations.
To arrest suspects or criminals abroad obviously requires the cooperation of the host country. But when the alleged crimes have not taken place in the host country, the host country is not obligated to make an arrest and extradite the suspect.
After all, the host country's police and law enforcement agencies are confined within the physical boundary of the territory. Only when there is a bilateral extradition treaty or the host country is bound by other international agreements is a country liable to make the requested arrest and extradition.
Unfortunately, since Taiwan is not internationally recognized as a sovereign country, it does not have such bilateral or multilateral relationships with most countries.
Although the amount of money believed to have been embezzled in the Rebar case is astronomical, host countries generally speaking are less motivated to extradite suspected economic criminals than those suspected of other kinds of crimes.
And of course, Wang and his wife are only suspects in a case where no charges have been filed.
With the couple now in the US, there is very little suspense about what will happen to Wang Chin Shyh-ying. As the holder of a US passport, the US cannot deny her entry. Moreover, host countries are usually not required to extradite their own citizens under extradition treaties, so even if an extradition treaty existed, it wouldn't help.
It is very likely, therefore, that if Wang Chin Shyh-ying stays in the US, she will never faces charges.
As for Wang You-theng, the situation is less predictable. He is currently in the custody of US immigration authorities. Since he is not a US citizen, the US government has complete discretion on whether to allow his entry. This is true regardless of whether he is trying to enter with a permanent residency visa or any other type of visa.
Wang may be deported from the US. Although there are talks of Wang claiming political asylum, US immigration law has a fairly precise definition of political persecution which needs to be met if Wang hopes to be admitted on that ground. He would have to prove that he would be persecuted at home on the basis of political or religious reasons, among other requirements. The fact that he would face investigation for his alleged involvement in an economic crime does not qualify him for asylum.
The problem is that even if Wang is deported, he will not necessarily be sent to Taiwan. If he has citizenship in another country, he might be allowed to request to be sent there.
However, if his Dominican Republic passport has been canceled, as requested by Taiwanese authorities, and he has no other valid foreign passports, Wang would be in a tight spot indeed.
Of course, there is always the chance he might manage to buy another foreign passport. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that the efforts of Taiwanese authorities will not have been in vain.
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing
A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers led by the party’s legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (?) are to visit Beijing for four days this week, but some have questioned the timing and purpose of the visit, which demonstrates the KMT caucus’ increasing arrogance. Fu on Wednesday last week confirmed that following an invitation by Beijing, he would lead a group of lawmakers to China from Thursday to Sunday to discuss tourism and agricultural exports, but he refused to say whether they would meet with Chinese officials. That the visit is taking place during the legislative session and in the aftermath