December 16, 2017
1. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) expressed deep regret and dissatisfaction over the consent of the Spanish National Court on December 15 to the request of mainland China to extradite Taiwan nationals suspected of fraud to mainland China based on the "one China principle." The MAC emphasized that the Republic of China (ROC) is a sovereign state. Mainland China must face the fact of the existence of the ROC. The various tactics used by Beijing to pressure Taiwan in the international arena only increase the resentment of the Taiwan public and are absolutely unacceptable to the people of Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and related agencies will continue to stay informed of the case, which is still in judicial proceedings in Spain.
2. When the case emerged, the MAC immediately contacted the MOFA, Criminal Investigation Bureau, and other agencies. It also expressed to the Mainland its hope to cooperate on investigation of the case and the position that the Taiwan nationals involved in the case should be brought back to Taiwan for investigation and trial according to law. The MOFA is also actively engaged in the Spanish court proceedings and has made representations to various parties in the Spanish government.
3. Combating cross-border telecommunications fraud is an important policy in Taiwan. Since May 20 last year, the MAC has jointly convened inter-agency meetings with the Ministry of Justice, MOFA, National Police Agency, National Communications Commission, Taiwan High Prosecutors Office, and other agencies. Taiwan has also promoted related actions to strengthen international cooperation, continue to fight crime domestically, and engage in cross-Strait communication. Moreover, the government has ferreted out telecommunications fraud operations and their ring leaders in Southeast Asian countries, as well as prevented the establishment of such operations in Europe, Central and South America, and other regions.
4. The MAC again called on the Mainland to promptly begin cross-Strait cooperation under the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement signed between the two sides. This is the only approach conducive to combating telecommunications fraud, apprehending the crime bosses behind the scenes, and protecting the rights and interests of the people on both sides.