The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has urged Taiwanese to assess the risks of traveling to China after Taiwanese National Party vice chairman Yang Chih-yuan (楊智淵) was reportedly arrested on charges of “endangering national security” and “secession” in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, on Wednesday.
The arrest of the 32-year-old democracy advocate was announced in a report by the state-run China Central Television (CCTV).
Yang was taken into custody by the state security bureau in Wenzhou on Wednesday on charges of being “engaged in separatist activities aimed at Taiwan’s independence,” CCTV reported.
Photo: Wu Shu-wei, Taipei Times
The council said it has yet to receive formal notice of Yang’s arrest.
It said Taiwanese should exercise caution when traveling to China given the potential risks to their personal freedom and security.
The council said it has asked China to adhere to the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, and requested that Yang’s right to a fair trial be guaranteed.
Some viewed Yang’s arrest as retaliation for US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan last week.
At least two Taiwanese nationals, Shih Cheng-ping (施正屏), a retired National Taiwan Normal University associate professor, and academic Cheng Yu-chin (鄭宇欽) are imprisoned in China on national security and espionage charges.
The Democratic Progressive Party has conveyed its ire over Yang’s arrest in a statement issued on Thursday, saying that it was a serious violation of human rights.
Regional harmony is the shared responsibility of all countries in the region, and political disagreements across the Taiwan Strait should be addressed through interactions and dialogue conducted on an equal and rational basis, it said.
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