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Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has urged citizens to avoid non- essential travel to China after authorities recorded a sharp rise in reports of Taiwanese nationals allegedly being detained or going missing across the mainland. The government has received 385 reports of Taiwanese who were either detained or lost contact in China between the start of 2024 and Wednesday, highlighting growing concerns over cross-strait travel, as reported by The Taipei Times.
According to The Taipei Times, the warning followed remarks by Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen chieh, who said that 10 new cases had been reported in just the past week. Official data showed a steep increase in such incidents, rising from 55 cases in 2024 to 221 in 2025, while 109 cases have already been recorded so far this year. The DPP accused Beijing of tightening political control through a broad network of national security laws and called on Chinese authorities to stop what it described as politically motivated actions against Taiwanese visitors. The party also warned that travellers could face intrusive questioning, mobile phone inspections, demands to disclose personal and professional relationships, and requests to connect with officials through WeChat. The party argued that recent cases indicate a systematic process in which Chinese authorities gather intelligence, identify individuals of interest, assess their political views and maintain long-term contact. It also pointed to a series of Chinese laws, including legislation on national security, espionage, intelligence, state secrets, data security, foreign sanctions and ethnic unity, saying they have significantly expanded Beijing's powers, as highlighted by The Taipei Times. The DPP further said these measures, together with the 2005 Anti- Secession Law and recent guidelines targeting supporters of Taiwan independence, have created a legal framework that enables extensive surveillance, information collection and political scrutiny, as reported by The Taipei Times. (ANI)
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