Three government bodies today said that China is seeking to project an illusion of "long-arm jurisdiction" over Taiwan, in a bid to sow divisions and fear among Taiwanese.
That approach is evident in China's efforts to prosecute Taiwanese in absentia for what Beijing calls secessionist activities, officials of the National Security Bureau (NSB), Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said during a legislative session.
They were responding to lawmakers’ questions on what actions could be taken in response to a recent report that Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) was being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwan independence.”
Photo courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
According to the report published on Tuesday by China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency, the lawmaker, who is in Taiwan, is being investigated by the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau on allegations of "secession-related" criminal activities, including launching the civil defense organization Kuma Academy.
The investigation is being carried out under the terms of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and a set of judicial guidelines from last year on how to penalize "Taiwan independence separatists," the report said.
Today, MOFA, NSB and MAC officials told legislators that such actions by China are meant to "create the illusion of long-arm jurisdiction over Taiwan."
China's aim is to "sow divisions and instill fear" among the people of Taiwan and to further isolate Taiwan on the international stage, the officials said during the hearing in the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
Noting that China has extradition treaties with more than 60 countries, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said it is not unlikely that China would exert pressure on those countries to deport Taiwanese deemed as criminal suspects to China.
In addition to its "trial in absentia" actions, the PRC could also request that Interpol issue a "red notice" for the arrest of Taiwanese listed as wanted by China, with a view to extradition, Lin said.
In view of those presumptive threats, MOFA has asked its overseas missions to strengthen communication with the governments, judicial divisions and law enforcement authorities of the host countries, he said.
MOFA is also expanding its emergency assistance to Taiwanese travelers, and enhancing intelligence sharing with friendly countries, Lin added.
Meanwhile, MAC Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung (沈有忠) said his agency has issued a travel warning for China, urging Taiwanese to be on high alert over their personal safety.
Since January last year, 233 Taiwanese have gone missing, been detained or interrogated or had their personal liberties restricted in China, he said.
Shen, who was banned in October last year from entering China, Hong Kong or Macau and listed as a "stubbornly pro-Taiwan independence" person, said he was being investigated purely for political reasons.
It is likely that ordinary Taiwanese would face similar charges in the future, Puma Shen said during the hearing, adding that extradition treaties in most countries are usually implemented for the return of suspects or convicts in major criminal cases.
In response, Shen Yu-chung told the DPP lawmaker that his agency is considering tightening entry permit requirements for Chinese officials in charge of Taiwan affairs, given China's actions of targeting a Taiwanese politician.
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