Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋), who is visiting the Netherlands for a democracy summit, said China’s use of legal means to threaten Taiwan, including recent calls by a Chinese legal expert and local government for his arrest, “will not work.”
Shen said that over the past two months, he has been engaged in international political outreach in the US, South Korea, Germany and the Netherlands, calling such work essential.
Citing South Korea as an example, Shen said that although the country has an extradition treaty with China, he still went there for a conference attended by like-minded democratic partners.
Photo courtesy of the DPP
“China really wants to stop me from carrying out these international engagement efforts, so it is trying to impose sanctions on me and prevent me from traveling abroad,” he said.
Last month, China’s Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau listed Shen as “wanted” and is investigating him for alleged “criminal activities of secession.”
A Chinese legal expert also suggested that Shen could be pursued through Interpol.
“These actions are meant to show the people of Taiwan that China is a paper tiger. What it is doing is largely symbolic propaganda for domestic audiences, and Taiwan should not be afraid,” Shen said, referring to his trips, adding that he hopes that Taiwanese understand that China’s legal threats are ineffective against them.
China’s threats to the democratic world are increasing in scope and intensity, with rhetoric becoming stronger, he said, adding that Beijing’s recent stance toward Japan shows its “wolf warrior diplomacy,” a confrontational form of public diplomacy adopted by Chinese diplomats, has escalated to a new level.
Beyond diplomacy, China is also making moves militarily and economically, hence the reason democratic countries must form alliances and understand its strategies, he said.
Shen on Friday also shared a video on his Facebook page showing him posing in front of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, in a gesture of defiance against China’s threats.
“This is where dictators are tried for war crimes or genocide,” he said, adding that, as a defender of democracy, he would not be intimidated even though he is wanted by an authoritarian regime.
The 209th Executive Committee Meeting of the Liberal International (LI) was held in The Hague on Friday and yesterday.
According to its agenda, Shen was to attend a panel discussion titled “Defending Democracy in an Era of Political Manipulation.”
Shen and DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) were invited to attend the event on behalf of Taiwan’s ruling party, the LI said in a news release yesterday.
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