Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday.
Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates.
Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said.
Photo: Reuters
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.”
Extradition treaties between China and about 60 countries have a provision to exclude the extradition for political offenses, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said.
“Extraditable offenses are the ones that are punishable under the laws of both parties,” in accordance with UN Model Treaty on Extradition, he said.
Most developed countries would not extradite Taiwanese to China for the “splitting the country” offense, he said.
It is best not to travel to developing countries that have signed up for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, especially authoritarian nations with a record of punishing political offenders, such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti, Chen said.
Democracies upholding human rights are safe even if they have an extradition treaty with China, he said.
Vessels and aircraft constitute “moving territories” according to international law, he said, adding that the Chinese government could arrest Taiwanese on a Chinese plane or ship.
Taiwanese could also be arrested if they have a connecting flight at a Chinese airport, even though their destination is not China, Hong Kong or Macau, Chen said.
While Beijing has a history of arresting Taiwanese within its territories on the pretense of unpaid debt, tax evasion or sexual harassment, its latest guidelines are aimed at Taiwan independence activists, he added.
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