1. Mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) stated today (November 25, 2020) that Shih Cheng-ping, a citizen of the Republic of China (ROC), was sentenced to four years in prison. Such a conviction is an extension of mainland China’s malicious political manipulation, to which the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) strongly condemns.
Mainland China has been engaging in malicious hype, recklessly arresting people conducting cross-Strait academic exchanges with arbitrary accusation of espionage, and making fabricated lies to incriminate innocent individuals. The latest conviction of ROC citizen Shih Cheng-ping to four years in prison is an extension of mainland China’s intimidation and political manipulation against the people of Taiwan. Mainland China’s deliberate stigmatization of normal cross-Strait academic exchanges and clumsy acts to threaten people of Taiwan constitute serious damage to cross-Strait relations, to which the MAC expressed strong condemnation.
2. Mainland China has so far failed to issue a notification for the case, nor have Prof. Shih’s family members been able to visit him. Prof. Shih’s basic human rights were totally ignored.
Under the pretext of defending national security, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has in recent years been arbitrarily arresting dissidents in China and Hong Kong, strengthening control over its internal affairs, viciously extending its reach to espionage organized overseas, and even autocratically arresting specific ROC individuals engaging in cross-Strait exchanges. In response to Shih’s case, the ROC government has repeatedly asked mainland China through various channels to promptly explain the case to the public, notify the ROC of restrictions on his personal freedom, safeguard his judicial rights, and facilitate visits by his family members to mainland China. However, mainland China has so far made no notification of the case, nor have Prof. Shih's family members been granted to pay visits. Mainland China claimed that Prof. Shih's legal rights would be fully protected, which is clearly nothing but one-sided words to cover up its despicable acts and a total disregard of Prof. Shih's basic human rights.
3. When handling incidents involving people's basic rights and personal safety, the government will prioritize our citizens’ safety, and do our utmost to assist.
Regarding the case of Shih Cheng-ping and other related incidents, the MAC has been in touch with family members since the very beginning, and we fully respect the wishes of the family. The government will continue to monitor the progress of each case and provide necessary assistance to family members of the victims.