TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Control Yuan member Lin Weng-cheng (林文程) called on the Cabinet on Monday (Aug. 26) to enhance assistance to Taiwanese citizens in China and provide better information about the dangers of traveling to the country.
Lin cited Beijing’s authoritarianism and the freedoms enjoyed by Taiwanese in Taiwan as a dangerous mismatch that may leave citizens unprepared for the perils they may face in China. He also pointed out the current over-reliance on local Taiwanese organizations and the underutilization of existing safety nets as areas where the government needs to reinforce its methods, per a Control Yuan press release.
He urged the Cabinet to update security measures for people traveling to China and establish branch offices for the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC).
Lin described China as one of the least free countries in the world, with one of the worst human rights records. He contrasted this with the freedoms in Taiwan, making Taiwanese citizens vulnerable to such dangers.
He emphasized China’s recent strengthening of its national security apparatus, abusing its power to harass or coerce Taiwanese travelers into cooperating with its infiltration organizations. Lin discussed a case involving a Taiwanese citizen who was mistakenly identified as pro-independence and subjected to interrogation.
Lin singled out China’s legal opinion on the punishment for people calling for Taiwan’s independence on June 21 as the most recent example of the dangers facing Taiwanese citizens in China. Regarding the need for branch offices for the SEF and MAC in China, Lin explained that if Taiwanese citizens encounter issues concerning personal liberty, non-governmental organizations like local Taiwanese associations may not be able to provide sufficient assistance.
Lin also discussed the inability of Taiwanese lawyers to practice law in China, forcing Taiwanese citizens to cooperate with Chinese lawyers with whom they may not have mutual trust. He added that legal representation is often merely nominal in a Chinese court.
Thus, Lin requested that the government provide more in-depth information about the potential problems travelers may face in China.
