TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After spending over four years in detention in China after being accused of working as a "Taiwanese spy" by Chinese authorities, Taiwanese business executive Lee Meng-chu (李孟居) kissed the ground upon arrival in Taiwan on Saturday (Sept. 2).
At 3 p.m. on Saturday, Lee was greeted by friends with hugs and flower garlands as he arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport on a flight from Tokyo, reported CNA. Lee told the news agency that after being detained in China for 1,475 days, including nearly two years in prison, he was thrilled to return to his home country and could not help but "kiss this land of freedom."
Friend places flower garland around Lee (right). (CNA photo)
Lee said that after experiencing this ordeal, he felt that he was too naive about China. He said he was on a business trip to China when he was arbitrarily arrested.
He said he believed that political factors were behind his arrest. Lee warned all travelers to be careful when visiting China, Hong Kong, and Macau, which he described as places under authoritarian control.
Friend hugs Lee. (CNA photo)
In the midst of the Hong Kong anti-extradition protests, Lee went missing after entering Shenzhen from Hong Kong on Aug. 20, 2019. Chinese officials accused Lee of "engaging in criminal activities that endanger national security" and arrested him at the end of October 2019 on charges of "foreign espionage and illegally sharing state secrets," reported VOA.
The reason provided for Lee's arrest was his filming of an exercise conducted by Chinese military police at a stadium in Shenzhen, per The Guardian. Chinese authorities accused Lee of being a "Taiwanese spy" and sentenced him to one year and 10 months in prison, and he was "deprived of political rights" for an additional two years, per BBC.
(CNA photo)
Lee denied any wrongdoing and told BBC that he was just a "curious passer-by." He added, "If it really were some state secret, how could everything be seen from a hotel?"
He was finally allowed to leave China on July 24, when he flew to Japan. However, a Chinese national security official in Shenzhen suggested that Lee not return to Taiwan immediately out of concern that Taiwanese media coverage would impact Taiwan's elections, reported CNA.
(CNA photo)
Lee then agreed to spend an extended period of time in Japan first before returning to Taiwan about five weeks later.
(CNA photo)
