Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday.
Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates.
Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said.
Photo: Reuters
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.”
Extradition treaties between China and about 60 countries have a provision to exclude the extradition for political offenses, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said.
“Extraditable offenses are the ones that are punishable under the laws of both parties,” in accordance with UN Model Treaty on Extradition, he said.
Most developed countries would not extradite Taiwanese to China for the “splitting the country” offense, he said.
It is best not to travel to developing countries that have signed up for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, especially authoritarian nations with a record of punishing political offenders, such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti, Chen said.
Democracies upholding human rights are safe even if they have an extradition treaty with China, he said.
Vessels and aircraft constitute “moving territories” according to international law, he said, adding that the Chinese government could arrest Taiwanese on a Chinese plane or ship.
Taiwanese could also be arrested if they have a connecting flight at a Chinese airport, even though their destination is not China, Hong Kong or Macau, Chen said.
While Beijing has a history of arresting Taiwanese within its territories on the pretense of unpaid debt, tax evasion or sexual harassment, its latest guidelines are aimed at Taiwan independence activists, he added.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS