Taiwan probes organised crime links to China’s ‘transnational repression’

Taiwan is investigating potential connections between organized crime and China's efforts to conduct transnational repression, according to a security official. This comes after Taipei's government accused Beijing of orchestrating an attack on a comedian who made fun of President Xi Jinping. China considers Taiwan as its own territory, despite the island's objections.

Taiwan's National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen revealed that the local networks involved in such incidents are primarily criminal gangs or private investigation firms tied to organized crime. The bureau is particularly interested in determining if anyone behind these groups has received direction and funding from the Chinese Communist Party. Dismantling the entire criminal group and network is a top priority for them.

The Taiwan Affairs Office has not yet commented on the matter. However, other critics of China in Taiwan have also faced attacks, including Hong Kong singer and activist Denise Ho, who was targeted in 2019 by a masked man who threw red paint at her. Tsai mentioned that Taiwan might need to revise its laws to better address China's transnational repression activities, as the current legal framework appears insufficient.

Taiwan's Supreme Prosecutors Office advised the public to remain vigilant and refrain from assisting hostile foreign forces or becoming local collaborators. Meanwhile, Taiwan, which rejects China's sovereignty claims, reports facing intensified pressure from China, both on land and in the waters surrounding the island. Chinese military and Coast Guard forces have been conducting daily patrols in these waters since June, with Tsai expressing concern over the increasing frequency and the appearance of Chinese militia boats in the eastern and southwestern regions of Taiwan. The US State Department has described these actions as deeply destabilizing.

Taiwan believes China is practicing for a potential maritime blockade using a combination of military, paramilitary, and civilian assets. China insists that its operations off Taiwan's eastern coast are legitimate and lawful, as they occur within Chinese waters, a claim Taiwan strongly rejects.