There have been reports of increasing numbers of Taiwanese going missing in China. One major case was the detention of Taiwanese human rights advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲), and now China has confirmed that it has detained Taiwan Union of Cross-strait Relations Associations chairman Tsai Chin-shu (蔡金樹).
The Straits Exchange Foundation revealed that it has processed 149 cases of Taiwanese nationals who have gone missing in China since May 2016. Of these, 67 have disappeared without a trace. No one knows what fate has befallen them.
It is simply astonishing that so many Taiwanese have gone missing in China over the past three years. In any other free, democratic nation, if even two or three nationals had gone missing there would have been an uproar. By contrast, in Taiwan it seems that people accept this state of affairs as completely normal. It is enough to make one see red.
Personal safety is a basic human right. Taiwan is a free, democratic nation that upholds human rights. In dealing with the Chinese communists, who do as they please, the government has signed a cross-strait judicial mutual assistance agreement, but it does appear that this agreement is, for all intents and purposes, dead in the water. It seems Taipei’s options are extremely limited when Taiwanese go missing in China.
In addition to looking into the 67 missing Taiwanese in China, the government should also endeavor to find out more about the remainder of the nearly 150 cases so that it can be determined who they are and the circumstances in which they went missing. Were they in China on business or for leisure? Were they visiting family or working? Where and when did they go missing?
Individual trails might go cold, but at least the information obtained would provide a better understanding of what is going on. If Taiwanese had a better understanding of the basic details behind the missing cases, they could at least have a more heightened sense of the potential dangers of going to China.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle should look into doing something about the 149 missing cases. If they cannot guarantee the personal safety of Republic of China citizens, how can they talk about improving their lives?
Ho Hua-kuo is a retired professor of National Chiayi University.
Translated by Paul Cooper
President William Lai (賴清德) attended a dinner held by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) when representatives from the group visited Taiwan in October. In a speech at the event, Lai highlighted similarities in the geopolitical challenges faced by Israel and Taiwan, saying that the two countries “stand on the front line against authoritarianism.” Lai noted how Taiwan had “immediately condemned” the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and had provided humanitarian aid. Lai was heavily criticized from some quarters for standing with AIPAC and Israel. On Nov. 4, the Taipei Times published an opinion article (“Speak out on the
More than a week after Hondurans voted, the country still does not know who will be its next president. The Honduran National Electoral Council has not declared a winner, and the transmission of results has experienced repeated malfunctions that interrupted updates for almost 24 hours at times. The delay has become the second-longest post-electoral silence since the election of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez of the National Party in 2017, which was tainted by accusations of fraud. Once again, this has raised concerns among observers, civil society groups and the international community. The preliminary results remain close, but both
News about expanding security cooperation between Israel and Taiwan, including the visits of Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) in September and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) this month, as well as growing ties in areas such as missile defense and cybersecurity, should not be viewed as isolated events. The emphasis on missile defense, including Taiwan’s newly introduced T-Dome project, is simply the most visible sign of a deeper trend that has been taking shape quietly over the past two to three years. Taipei is seeking to expand security and defense cooperation with Israel, something officials
The Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation has demanded an apology from China Central Television (CCTV), accusing the Chinese state broadcaster of using “deceptive editing” and distorting the intent of a recent documentary on “comfort women.” According to the foundation, the Ama Museum in Taipei granted CCTV limited permission to film on the condition that the footage be used solely for public education. Yet when the documentary aired, the museum was reportedly presented alongside commentary condemning Taiwan’s alleged “warmongering” and criticizing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s stance toward Japan. Instead of focusing on women’s rights or historical memory, the program appeared crafted
RSS