Beijing raised its tone against Taiwanese authorities on Wednesday, accusing them of both internal political repression and compromising the island’s strategic interests abroad. The criticism follows the arrest in Taiwan of a journalist accused of providing military information to mainland China, and the announcement of a trade agreement between Taipei and Washington.
At a press conference, the Chinese spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, Peng Qing’en, said that the preventive detention of journalist Lin Chen-you and five active and reserve military personnel is yet another example of how the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan “abuses the judicial system to intimidate and repress political opponents,” “recklessly” labeling third parties as infiltrators.
According to Peng, the use of “partisan and personal interests” contributed to the creation of “green terror,” in reference to the color associated with the DPP, aimed at “inciting confrontation and hostility” between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese official did not comment on the details of the case or present additional evidence.
Taiwanese judicial authorities maintain that the defendants may have violated the National Security Law, the Anti-Corruption Law, and the Penal Code by providing “relevant military information” to contacts linked to Beijing.
The local press reports that the detained journalist worked for CTi News, a media outlet considered favorable to closer ties with mainland China. The company called for a “fair and equitable” trial and denied searches of its premises.
Meanwhile, Beijing has criticized the trade agreement recently reached between Taiwan and the United States, calling it a “surrender document” that will “hollow out the island’s cutting-edge industrial base.” The pact provides for tariff reductions on Taiwanese products and investment and credit commitments totaling around $500 billion from semiconductor companies and Taipei in US soil.
Peng Qing’en accused Washington of exerting “maximum pressure” through tariffs and said that the DPP authorities are proud of an agreement that will allow the United States to ‘plunder’ the island’s semiconductor industry. According to the spokesman, this path will turn Taiwan into a “hollow island” and demonstrates that the commitment to independence is “a dead end.”
