A Chinese diplomat's bid for asylum in Australia is being closely watched in Taiwan.
If Canberra grants asylum to Chen Yonglin (
"Australia is very concerned about its ties with China. I don't think Australia will risk its ties with Beijing by granting asylum to Chen. But it may let him go to a third country," said Alexander Huang (黃介正), a China expert at Tamkang University.
Since Cold War days, several Western nations have granted asylum to Chinese diplomats, triggering strong protests and retaliation from Beijing.
Chen, 37, claimed his job was to spy on Chinese dissidents, Tibetan exiles and Taiwanese in Australia and said he was defecting because he could no longer support Beijing's persecution of dissidents.
He claims that China has 1,000 agents working in Australia, where they are kidnapping Chinese dissidents and forcibly repatriating them to China.
Chinese Ambassador to Australia Fu Ying (
She said Chen fabricated the story so that he can stay in Australia as his four-year posting is coming to an end.
Chen's claim that he will face persecution if he returns to China is valid, according to a former Chinese official who defected to the US in 1989 and who now lives in Taiwan.
"Chen Yonglin's life would certainly be in danger because China is not ruled by law and it can drum up any charge against Chen," Ruan Ming (阮明), former secretary to late Chinese Communist Party secretary-general Hu Yaobang (胡耀邦), said during phone conversation.
Ruan fled China following the Tiananmen Square Massacre and is now serving as an adviser for the think tank Taiwan Research Institute.
If Chen is sent back to China he is likely to face treason charges, which carries a maximum life sentence.
Australia's handling of Chen's asylum bid is "shameful", according to Su Yung-chin (蘇永欽), professor of law at National Chengchi University.
"According to international law, all countries should provide assistance to asylum seekers on humanitarian grounds. What Australia has done is not only improper, but also shameful," he said.
Taiwan welcomed Chinese defectors in the Cold War days, but stopped doing so in the late 1980s as cross-strait tensions thawed.
Since 1990, Taiwan has repatriated 12 Chinese plane hijackers to China and rejected the asylum requests from several Chinese pro-democracy activists, but helped them seek asylum in a third country.
A third country may be Chen's best hope, as Canberra weighs granting him political asylum and its diplomatic ties with China.
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the