Beijing’s detention of Taiwanese human rights advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲) is the height of absurdity in the eyes of the Taiwanese public — one that has damaged cross-strait relations while highlighting the fragilitiy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Tung Li-wen (董立文) said.
Lee went missing since arriving on the Chinese mainland from Macau on March 19. Ten days later, Beijing said that Lee was being held in custody for “suspected involvement in activities endangering national security.”
Lee’s wife on Monday was prevented from boarding a plane to Beijing to search for her husband after her “Taiwan compatriot travel document” was canceled by the Chinese government.
Tung said that Chinese authorities have yet to say what laws Lee had broken.
Based on its past actions, Beijing will attempt to blacken Lee’s name, like what it did with the owner and staff of Causeway Bay Books in Hong Kong, Tung said.
Chinese state securities organizations might be orchestrating the case against Lee, Tung said, adding that the political authority of these organizations is so great, they are beyond the reach of ordinary offices tasked with handling Taiwan affairs.
Lee might be accused of breaking highly controversial state security laws passed by China in recent years, such as the National Security Act, the Act to Regulate Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations and the Internet Security Act, he said.
The incident shows that Beijing is willing to sacrifice its global image, justice and equality, and even its own laws to maintain an image of national stability, he added.
Tung cited the case of another Taiwanese — Falun Gong member Bruce Chung (鍾鼎邦) — who was detained by China in 2012, during the administration of then-president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
The government obtained Chung’s release through “unofficial private channels,” which shows the limitations of cross-strait negotiation channels and mechanisms, Tung said.
He urged the Chinese leadership to act wisely and contain the damage that the incident has inflicted on cross-strait relations.
Alexander Huang (黃介正), an assistant professor at Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, said that China is tightening security ahead of the CCP’s 19th National Congress this year.
While the government’s job is to protect its citizens, it might prove difficult now, Huang said.
Huang called for the establishment of a “mutually respected communications channel” that would best serve cross-strait interaction.
He also called on the government and human rights groups to respect the choice and opinions of Lee’s wife, Lee Ching-yu (李凈瑜), adding that neither the government nor the groups should attempt to use the issue for their own agenda.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai