TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Experts warn that China could try to harass more Taiwanese officials when they travel overseas, following reports that Chinese diplomats allegedly plotted to ram Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim's (蕭美琴) car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year.
A National Security Bureau official told Liberty Times it remains unclear whether the incident was part of a centrally coordinated CCP operation or carried out independently by Chinese embassy staff in Prague. The official said this kind of transnational harassment is not unprecedented.
The source noted that China has previously been suspected of orchestrating incidents such as Hong Kong singer Denise Ho (何韻詩) being splashed with paint during a Taiwan visit, or the recent pepper spray assault on political commentator Lee Cheng-hao (李正皓). The official believes Chinese authorities may recruit local gangs to carry out such actions, as they have done in Hong Kong.
Wang Zhin-sheng (王智盛), a professor in the Department of Border Police at Central Police University, said the Prague incident was a calculated stress test. He said China sought to create psychological pressure by tailing Hsiao.
Wang said the intent was to intimidate the host country and discourage others from inviting senior Taiwanese officials.
Wang said China’s covert intelligence units may be probing how much harassment non-diplomatic host countries will tolerate. The fact that it took more than a year for the Czech government to publicly reveal the incident suggests sensitivity around the issue.
He argued that the Prague incident was intentional and served as a trial run. China may repeat similar tactics in other countries, potentially targeting former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) or other key Taiwanese figures, said Wang.
Wang said the strong condemnation by the Czech Republic and other members of the international community is the correct response. Without it, China’s covert operations could become even more rampant abroad.
He also warned that China often uses local diaspora communities as a “fifth column” to stage protests and disrupt events.
Wang stressed that the CCP used state power to pose a direct physical threat to a Taiwanese leader in a third country. More than just surveillance, Wang said this was a deliberate, potentially deadly maneuver.
Wang said such acts are rare and signal China's expanding use of long-arm jurisdiction and extraterritorial enforcement. He said Taiwan and its partners must make clear that such actions will not be tolerated, or future overseas visits by senior Taiwanese officials could face escalating safety risks.
