TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s foreign missions have updated their emergency response plans for possible cases of transnational repression, Lin Shih-hsin (林世欣), deputy director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of Policy Planning, said at a press conference Tuesday.
Lin said Taiwan takes a localized approach to emergencies abroad rather than applying a uniform standard operating procedure. All missions are required to continuously update their plans as circumstances change to provide citizens with maximum protection.
Lin’s comments come amid concerns that China may intensify its intimidation of Taiwanese citizens abroad after its “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress” took effect in July.
Lin said that since China introduced the law, countries including the US, Germany, and the UK have responded to it. Taiwan’s foreign ministry has also urged the international community to closely monitor developments and remain vigilant.
Asked whether there was a framework for a collective security network, Lin said cooperation would be pursued through bilateral and multilateral government and civil society channels. This would include strategic communication with countries such as the US and Japan, as well as European nations.
Lin said Taiwan had already launched several related initiatives, including an inaugural seminar on countering transnational repression, a Global Cooperation and Training Framework session on the issue, and the Ketagalan Forum.
In remarks at the Ketagalan Forum, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said China’s ethnic unity law “infringes upon Taiwan’s sovereignty and persecutes religions and minority groups.”
“By using forms of transnational repression, it imposes political censorship in all parts of the world, creating a chilling effect,” Lai said.
“The entire international community should come together and staunchly oppose this malicious law,” he added.
