Falun Gong practitioners yesterday warned Taiwan against Beijing's "one country, two systems" policy.
Before the UK handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997, Beijing promised to maintain the legal and political institutions in Hong Kong for 50 years following the handover.
"Only 10 years after Hong Kong's return [to China], we're experiencing more and more repression from Beijing," said Chu Wan-chih (朱婉琪), a Human Rights Law Foundation lawyer who has been assisting arrested Falun Gong practitioners in Hong Kong.
Falun Gong is a spiritual practice introduced by Li Hongzhi (李洪志) in 1992. Falun Gong has been banned in China, and has been branded an "evil cult" by the Beijing government. Practitioners in China are often prosecuted and tortured.
Although Hong Kong enjoys special administrative status under China's "one country, two systems" policy, Falun Gong practitioners and supporters are now facing tighter control, and sometimes threats, from Beijing Chu said.
"Falun Gong practitioners in Hong Kong, whether locals or foreigners, are often closely watched and followed by Chinese officials," Chu, accompanied by Falun Gong practitioners and their sympathizers, said at a press conference in Taipei yesterday.
Chu then told the press conference that she had also been harassed.
"Once, when I was in Hong Kong, I got a phone call as I walked into my hotel room after dinner," she said. "The caller, speaking in Mandarin with a Chinese accent, kept telling me, `You should know who I am,' and `I've been watching you since you arrived at the airport.'"
Chu said she was disappointed with China's "one country, two systems" policy in Hong Kong, and warned "all Taiwanese people with any expectations of the system ? to look at Hong Kong as an example."
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan