The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.”
“China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said.
The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China.
Photo: Reuters
The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen under China’s “draconian judicial guidelines” aimed at prosecuting so-called “Taiwanese independence die-hards.”
“We urge China to engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan to resolve differences,” they said. “Continued threats and legal pressure will only undermine the peaceful resolution of issues that Beijing claims to seek.”
On Sunday last week, a Chinese legal expert on state-run China Central Television said Shen should be pursued through Interpol and other mutual judicial assistance agreements with foreign countries.
The statement raised concern that Shen might be arrested and extradited to China if he traveled abroad.
At a hearing of the German Bundestag’s Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid in Berlin on Wednesday, Shen said that “as a brave Taiwanese, I will never draw back in fear.”
The Mainland Affairs Council said that China has no judicial authority over the country, and that it would coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international partners on possible countermeasures.
Soochow University Department of Political Science assistant professor Chen Fang-yu (陳方隅) said China aims to create a common enemy and rally groups friendly to it.
Beijing’s intimidation aims to disrupt solidarity among democracies, and its transnational repression shares the same purpose as its “gray zone” harassment — to “test other countries’ reactions and red lines,” Chen said.
Democratic countries take longer to formulate and implement policies, making it impossible for them to respond with aggressive measures, he said, adding that China can be expected to “continue to test.”
However, as China continues to push democratic nations, it is clear that they are becoming more united against it, he said, citing the US Department of State’s remarks and a pledge by the Interparliamentary Alliance on China that it would support bills and measures to counter transnational repression backed by Beijing.
Additional reporting by Su Yung-yao
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