The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday confirmed that authorities in Shanghai had detained 12 Taiwanese investment advisers after conducting a road on a firm that reportedly employs the most Taiwanese advisers in China.
Nine suspects were released on bail, while three remained in custody.
Shanghai police made the arrests after searching Shanghai Qian He Yi Co (上海仟和億公司).
The Taiwanese government has attached a high level of importance to the incident, the council said.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau has demanded that Chinese authorities honor the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement (海峽兩岸共同打擊犯罪及司法互助協議) and inform it of the names of the 12 people and the charges they face, as well as the whereabouts of the three that remained in custody, the council added.
The Straits Exchange Foundation is working to obtain more information regarding the incident through the Shanghai Association of Taiwan, the council said.
Taiwanese agencies would follow the incident closely to ensure that the rights of the 12 Taiwanese are protected, it added.
The council urged Chinese authorities to prioritize cases involving Taiwanese, handle them with prudence and ensure transparency throughout the judicial process.
Chinese authorities should honor the mutual judicial assistance agreement and allow the detained Taiwanese the right to communication, including making telephone calls to inform others of their condition and receiving visitors, it said.
The nation’s laws do not prohibit Taiwanese from working as investment advisers in China, but people should be mindful of China’s laws and the way in which its judiciary operates, which is vastly different from Taiwan or other democratic societies, the council said.
Taiwanese in China should be extra cautious regarding their safety, it added.
New Party presidential candidate Yang Shih-kuang (楊世光), who is reportedly linked to Shanghai Qian He Yi, confirmed the news.
Yang attributed the incident to the mothballing of the cross-strait service trade agreement after then-Academia Sinica researcher Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), now a New Power Party legislator, and others launched the Sunflower movement in 2014.
As the agreement was not ratified, the titles on the licenses of the detained investment advisers might not match the sectors in which Taiwanese are allowed to work in China, which could cause confusion, he said.
Huang and the council should bear responsibility and offer assistance to those affected, he added.
The council last night issued a statement rejecting Yang’s remarks, saying that the incident is unrelated to the service trade agreement.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old