Chinese intimidation of Taiwan has entered a chilling new phase: bolder, more multifaceted and unconstrained by diplomatic norms. For years, Taiwan has weathered economic coercion, military threats, diplomatic isolation, political interference, espionage and disinformation, but the direct targeting of elected leaders abroad signals an alarming escalation in Beijing’s campaign of hostility.
Czech military intelligence recently uncovered a plot that reads like fiction, but is all too real. Chinese diplomats and civil secret service in Prague had planned to ram the motorcade of then-vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and physically assault her during her visit to the Czech Republic in March last year.
Taiwanese officials have rightly labeled this as “transnational repression.” We should call it what it is: endangering the life of a democratically elected leader. Although Czech authorities thwarted the plot, the warning is clear: Beijing is willing to cross any line to threaten and silence Taiwanese leadership. This cannot be allowed to become the new normal. In a world that claims to be governed by a rules-based international order, this was nothing short of a planned political attack, one that must not be dismissed or normalized under the cover of the “one China” policy.
China’s cross-border harassment is not new. Its officials have long targeted Taiwanese diplomats and students abroad, as well as Hong Kong dissidents, sometimes violently. In 2020, Chinese diplomats disrupted Taiwan’s Double Ten National Day event in Fiji and physically assaulted Taiwanese staff. The Prague incident marks a new threshold: What was once intimidation is now premeditated violence. This is not diplomacy; it is state-sponsored coercion.
This is happening now because Beijing’s traditional tactics are faltering. Taiwan has grown more resilient, deepening its partnerships across Europe and Asia, and garnering broader international support. As diplomatic poaching yields diminishing returns, China is resorting to more extreme measures to intimidate Taiwanese leaders and deter others from engaging with Taipei. The strategy is plain: To keep Taiwan off the international stage and isolate it by any means necessary.
The international outrage to the Prague plot has been swift, but coverage alone is not enough. China’s actions are not merely Taiwan’s problem; they are a direct challenge to democratic norms and the global rules-based order. What happens to Taiwan today could happen to other liberal democracies tomorrow. A collective response is essential.
What can be done?
First, liberal democracies must speak with one voice. This was a violent threat against a democratically elected leader. The world must condemn it clearly and forcefully.
Second, there must be accountability. Chinese officials involved in such plots should face consequences, including the possibility of diplomatic expulsions. When red lines are crossed, there must be repercussions and a clear message that China is not immune to such illegal activities, not on foreign soil at least.
Third, democratic countries must strengthen security coordination concerning Taiwan. Although Taipei lacks formal diplomatic recognition, it maintains extensive unofficial relations worldwide. It is a key economic and technological partner to many, as well as a hub for advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Its leaders and officials deserve the same protection given to any visiting dignitary. Ensuring their safety is a duty and responsibility.
Fourth, there must be legal deterrents. In the US, the TAIPEI Act and the Taiwan Peace and Stability Act offer valuable models. Similar frameworks should be adopted in other countries to protect partners facing coercion and interference.
Fifth, countries must not back down from legitimate engagement with Taiwan. Beijing has no authority to dictate who may communicate with whom. The Czech Republic has demonstrated admirable resolve, from Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil’s visit to Taipei in 2020 to its warm welcome of Hsiao last year. These actions are more than mere gestures; they stand as powerful affirmations that democratic values cannot be silenced through intimidation and bullying.
If the world is serious about upholding a rules-based order, now is the time to draw firm boundaries and stand together in its defense.
“Taiwan will not be isolated by intimidation,” Hsiao said.
Indeed, Taiwan will neither be intimidated nor silenced. However, the international community must do its part: Support Taiwan’s right to exist, engage and remain secure. A stable Indo-Pacific region and a functioning international order are impossible if Taiwan is left vulnerable to violence, coercion and repression.
Chen Kuan-ting is a Democratic Progressive Party legislator and a member of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. Sana Hashmi is a fellow at the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation.
A failure by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to respond to Israel’s brilliant 12-day (June 12-23) bombing and special operations war against Iran, topped by US President Donald Trump’s ordering the June 21 bombing of Iranian deep underground nuclear weapons fuel processing sites, has been noted by some as demonstrating a profound lack of resolve, even “impotence,” by China. However, this would be a dangerous underestimation of CCP ambitions and its broader and more profound military response to the Trump Administration — a challenge that includes an acceleration of its strategies to assist nuclear proxy states, and developing a wide array
Eating at a breakfast shop the other day, I turned to an old man sitting at the table next to mine. “Hey, did you hear that the Legislative Yuan passed a bill to give everyone NT$10,000 [US$340]?” I said, pointing to a newspaper headline. The old man cursed, then said: “Yeah, the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] canceled the NT$100 billion subsidy for Taiwan Power Co and announced they would give everyone NT$10,000 instead. “Nice. Now they are saying that if electricity prices go up, we can just use that cash to pay for it,” he said. “I have no time for drivel like
Twenty-four Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers are facing recall votes on Saturday, prompting nearly all KMT officials and lawmakers to rally their supporters over the past weekend, urging them to vote “no” in a bid to retain their seats and preserve the KMT’s majority in the Legislative Yuan. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which had largely kept its distance from the civic recall campaigns, earlier this month instructed its officials and staff to support the recall groups in a final push to protect the nation. The justification for the recalls has increasingly been framed as a “resistance” movement against China and
Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) reportedly told the EU’s top diplomat that China does not want Russia to lose in Ukraine, because the US could shift its focus to countering Beijing. Wang made the comment while meeting with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas on July 2 at the 13th China-EU High-Level Strategic Dialogue in Brussels, the South China Morning Post and CNN reported. Although contrary to China’s claim of neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, such a frank remark suggests Beijing might prefer a protracted war to keep the US from focusing on
RSS