TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese woman said a minor traffic dispute in Beijing turned political after two Chinese individuals repeatedly yelled at her to say Taiwan is part of China, Liberty Times reported Wednesday.
The woman, surnamed Wang (王), said the dispute began when a woman riding an electric scooter approached her family on a street. After learning they were Taiwanese, the rider stopped discussing the traffic issue and started asking whether they considered Taiwan part of China.
Wang said she was Taiwanese and pointed out that people from Taiwan and China carry different passports. A man later arrived and shouted insults at Wang and her family.
Wang said the man moved close to her 90-year-old grandfather and also insulted her mother. She said she recorded the confrontation while trying to protect her family and prevent the argument from becoming physical.
Police later took both sides to a local station, where a deputy station chief carried out what Wang called political persuasion, using the Chinese term “thought work.” She said officers warned that her family could receive a police record because she had used an insulting term for the man during the argument.
Wang said her family apologized and signed a settlement because they feared for their safety, but they still felt unfairly treated. She later said that she and her family were safe.
