TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Mainland Affairs Council on Wednesday said China's claim of long-arm jurisdiction with a new website reporting portal is an “illusion.”
China's Taiwan Affairs Office on Wednesday launched a new section on its website for reporting “Taiwan independence” supporters and those oppressing other Taiwanese, per China's Xinhua. Taiwan Affairs Office Spokesperson Chen Binhua (陳斌華) claimed that as of 5 p.m., 323 reports had been received.
Chen then named 11 public Taiwanese figures, whom he claimed had been reported through the new portal. They included three DPP legislators, three Taipei District Prosecutors' Office prosecutors, and social media influencers.
Chen alleged that these individuals had been involved in suppressing opposition parties, threatening to dissolve pro-unification groups, and violating the rights of Chinese spouses. The latter is likely referring to three Chinese influencers who have had their residence permits revoked for supporting a military invasion of Taiwan.
The MAC pointed out China has a history of using reporting systems to suppress dissidents, per CNA. It noted that once a reporting campaign gains momentum, it is difficult to stop.
It said this can be seen in past movements like the "Anti-Rightist Campaign" in the 1950s, which resulted in the political persecution of at least 550,000 people. The reporting hotline in Hong Kong has resulted in 750,000 national security-related reports since its launch in 2020.
The MAC said that encouraging reporting will only lead to "expansion" and "spillover," ultimately causing disaster. It called China's response actual political repression.
The agency emphasized that Taiwan is a democratic country ruled by law. It said that recently, a few isolated cases involved violations of laws, and administrative agencies handled them according to the law.
It stressed that the persons involved in these cases can appeal through Taiwan's legal system. The MAC denied Beijing's claims of “so-called persecution of political dissidents” in Taiwan.
The MAC said China's repeated establishment of various reporting channels is merely "an attempt to create the false illusion of long-arm jurisdiction over Taiwan.” The agency said Beijing's moves do not affect Taiwanese citizens, but only obstruct and undermine cross-strait exchanges.
The MAC reminded the public to be aware of China's illegal arrests and abuse of power in detention, urging Taiwanese to carefully assess personal safety risks before traveling to China.
