The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for attempts to intimidate Taiwanese through “transnational repression.”
The council issued the remarks after state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) yesterday during a news broadcast aired a video targeting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋), threatening him with “cross-border repression” and saying: “Stop now, or you will be next,” in what Taipei officials said was an attempt to intimidate not only Shen, but also the broader Taiwanese public.
The MAC in a statement condemned the threat, accusing Beijing of trying to instill fear and self-censorship among Taiwanese and create a chilling effect on free expression.
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
The council said it “strongly condemns the CCP for its malicious and reckless tactics.”
The video follows a report by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency last week that said Shen is under investigation by the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau on allegations of “secession-related” criminal activities, including launching the civil defense organization Kuma Academy.
The CCTV broadcast cited Chinese legal academics who said that Beijing could pursue a global arrest warrant for Shen through Interpol and engage in “cross-border judicial cooperation.”
CCTV also said that Shen “maliciously attacked” Chinese spouses in Taiwan by suggesting some were spies, forcing several women to return to China.
The video also “exposed” his family background, saying that his father, Shen Tu-cheng (沈土城), was a businessman who “profited from China while inciting separatism.”
The MAC said the threat violates international conventions and is part of China’s effort to create a false perception of jurisdiction over Taiwan.
“China seeks to intimidate all Taiwanese citizens, not just lawmakers,” it said. “Such actions are a blatant challenge to international norms and order.”
The MAC has been cooperating with international partners to share information and prevent such “ignorant and aggressive violations of global norms,” it said, adding that it would work with other democracies to counter Beijing’s extraterritorial intimidation.
“The CCP has no jurisdiction over Taiwan. The government has both the ability and determination to ensure the safety of every citizen, and the public can rest assured,” the MAC said.
The council urged Taiwanese to remain clear-headed in the face of Chinese psychological warfare and to stay united against external threats, warning individuals not to cooperate with Beijing’s intimidation tactics “for personal gain or political convenience.”
In a separate statement yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) echoed the MAC’s statements, denouncing the threat as an example of China’s “cross-border repression” and “human rights abuses.”
CCTV’s reference to possible international cooperation through Interpol was “a baseless and malicious fabrication,” the ministry said, calling it “a blatant violation of international law and a challenge to the international order.”
“China’s actions undermine human rights and international norms,” the ministry said, urging the global community to jointly condemn Beijing’s intimidation and calling on the CCP to “immediately cease its threats against the people of Taiwan.”
The government is working with international partners to prevent and counteract such unlawful and ignorant behavior, and safeguard the rights of Taiwanese citizens, it said.
The Republic of China is a sovereign and independent state that “is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China,” the ministry said.
“China has no jurisdiction over Taiwan. MOFA and other government agencies have enhanced interministerial coordination and instructed overseas missions to strengthen security measures and contingency protocols to protect Taiwanese nationals abroad who might be targeted by China’s long-arm jurisdiction,” it said.
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