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

Taiwan is investigating suspected links between organized crime and China's efforts to carry out transnational repression, a security official revealed on Thursday. This follows Taiwan's government accusing Beijing of orchestrating an attack on a comedian who had mocked President Xi Jinping. Taiwan, which China considers its own territory, has long complained about Beijing employing covert methods to target Taiwanese deemed separatists or politically suspect.

Tsai Ming-yen, director-general of Taiwan's National Security Bureau, stated that the local networks involved in such incidents are predominantly criminal gangs or private investigation firms tied to organized crime. The bureau's primary concern is whether individuals behind these groups have been directed and funded by the Chinese Communist Party. Dismantling the entire criminal network is a top priority for the bureau.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not provide a comment on the matter, nor did they respond to previous inquiries about the comedian's assault. Other prominent critics of China in Taiwan have also faced attacks, including Hong Kong singer and activist Denise Ho, who was targeted in 2019 with red paint by a masked assailant. Tsai expressed the need for potential legal reforms to more effectively address China's transnational repression in Taiwan's democratic society, noting that the current legal framework is insufficient.

China's maritime activities in the waters surrounding Taiwan have intensified, with the National Security Bureau particularly alarmed by the presence of Chinese militia boats near the island's east and southwest. These militia boats, typically more common in the South China Sea, signal a significant shift in China's approach. The US State Department recently described China's actions off Taiwan's eastern coast as "deeply destabilizing," exacerbating tensions following reports of the first known sighting of a Chinese militia boat in those waters.

Taiwan believes China is practicing for a potential maritime blockade using a combination of military, paramilitary, and civilian assets. China maintains that its operations off Taiwan's eastern coast are legitimate and lawful, a claim Taiwan vehemently rejects.