The National Security Council (NSC) have established a system to evaluate the risk of a country extraditing or repatriating Taiwanese to China, a government official said yesterday.
After China last month promulgated guidelines which included the death sentence for “diehard” independence advocates, concerns were raised over whether there are countries that would cooperate with Beijing to send travelers from Taiwan to China.
The NSC has called for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies to hold meetings to discuss the issue, as Taiwanese are keen to travel abroad during the summer vacation.
Photo: CNA
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said there are countries likely to comply with China’s request and divided nations into five categories according to potential risk, a government official who chose to remain anonymous said.
One of the categories consists of nations that have amiable and close relations with China, especially those that uphold Beijing’s “one China” principle.
Two categories cover nations that have relevant agreements with China: The 65 nations that have signed a mutual legal assistance treaty in criminal matters, and the 17 nations that have signed an extradition treaty with China.
Another category includes the 14 nations that have extradited or repatriated Taiwanese who were accused of fraud to China.
The last category lists 17 nations that have allowed Beijing to pressure Taipei at overseas missions since January’s presidential election.
Lin also encouraged public awareness in the countries and regions frequently visited by Taiwanese, as listed by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ Tourism Administration.
An NSC official said that not all the nations are high risk, but Taiwanese are advised to increase awareness when visiting those that are listed in more than one category.
For example, countries that have signed an extradition or mutual legal assistance treaty with China, or support Beijing’s “one China” principle might not be democracies governed by the rule of law, and might not adhere to the principle of non-extradition of political offenders and the principle of double criminality, they said.
These countries are likely to send Taiwanese to China, against the internationally common practice that an act is only extraditable if it constitutes a crime in both the requesting and requested countries, the official said.
To avoid any unnecessary diplomatic disputes, diplomatic agencies would not name the countries that are high risk, because China might take advantage of the situation, they said.
Taiwanese can make their own judgements based on the indicators, the official said, adding that the ministry has ordered overseas missions to enhance their protection of Taiwanese visitors to ensure they are not sent to China.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) has invited 22 envoys to Taiwan to discuss how to enhance Taiwan’s international support, the official said.
The Mainland Affairs Council last month announced an “orange” travel warning for China, Hong Kong and Macau, following many Western countries’ advising people not to make unnecessary trips to China, they said, adding that South Korea also has a “orange” travel warning for China.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS