Taipei [Taiwan], November 22 : In a bold stand against China's intimidation tactics, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Puma Shen departed for the Netherlands yesterday to attend a high-level international forum, despite being declared "wanted" by China.
The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau in late October issued a warrant against Shen, accusing him of "secessionist crimes" for his work with Kuma Academy, a civil defence initiative that educates Taiwanese citizens on how to respond in case of a Chinese invasion.
The politically charged probe, grounded in China's Criminal Law and its newly expanded rules on punishing "Taiwan independence separatists," has been condemned as yet another example of China's extraterritorial repression, as reported by The Taipei Times.
According to The Taipei Times, a Chinese legal analyst speaking on China Central Television (CCTV) claimed that Shen could be pursued through Interpol and other global judicial channels, a statement that drew sharp criticism in Taiwan, where lawmakers dismissed it as a baseless attempt to export China's authoritarian legal system.
In response, the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee of Taiwan's legislature passed a motion denouncing China's actions, asserting that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has "no legal authority or jurisdiction over the citizens of Taiwan."
Taiwanese lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) representing Kaohsiung on Friday called on the public to stand with Japan by purchasing Japanese products and travelling there, amid China's escalating response to remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi concerning Taiwan's security.
Their appeal follows China's latest economic retaliation, from suspending Japanese seafood imports to telling Chinese citizens to avoid travelling to Japan. After Takaichi stated that any Chinese military action against Taiwan could directly endanger Japan's national survival, the comments have triggered a new wave of pressure tactics from China, as reported by Focus Taiwan.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor