By Martin Banks

A Taiwan civil rights worker has urged the European Parliament to press the EU “not to treat Taiwanese people as citizens of the People’s Republic of China.”

Speaking in Brussels, Lee Ming-che claimed that doing so “would amount to helping China carry out transnational repression against them.”

He also called on the EU to address “extraterritorial accountability, overseas police stations and the impact of transnational repression on democratic societies” in its human rights dialogues with China.

His comments come at a time of what some see as heightened tension between Taiwan and China.

China sees self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be under Beijing’s control – and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island.

China strongly defends its claim over Taiwan through a combination of historical assertions, state succession theory, legal framing, and nationalist politics.

But Taiwan sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders.

Lee was detained by Chinese police in March 2017 on charges of “subverting state power”, becoming the first Taiwanese citizen detained on such charges. He was sentenced to five years in prison the same year, in a ruling that was widely condemned as politically motivated.

In April 2022, he was released and returned to Taiwan.

He was in Brussels this week to talk to the media about human rights issues.  The  speakers are member of the  discussion took place at the  Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium on 14 October.

He was accompanied by members of the New School for Democracy “Human Rights Connections” group who came to Europe to share their experiences and insights on human rights and democratic movements, particularly in the face of what they claim is “China’s transnational repression and political infiltration.”

Drawing on the experiences of communities in Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Uyghur diaspora, the delegation called for closer cooperation between Europe and Taiwanese civil society on information exchange, support for victims and human rights protection.

Lee Ming-che is said to exemplify the human impact of alleged transnational repression.

Imprisoned in China from 2017 to 2022 on charges of “subversion of state power,” he has since returned to Taiwan and is actively engaged with non-governmental organizations to promote democracy and human rights.

Another member of the delegation speaking in Brussels was Tashken Dolaet, a Uyghur Taiwanese advocate who has long worked on Uyghur human rights.

He proposed that Taiwan–Europe cooperation could extend “beyond private donations and government assistance to more structured cooperation between NGOs.”

He noted similarities in what he called “the narrative manipulation used in Russia’s information warfare against Ukraine and China’s against Taiwan.”

“For example, narratives on Chinese social media that align with Russia’s messaging to justify its invasion could serve as a case for cross-border research and information exchange.

“Taiwan and Europe could share experience in researching information warfare and fake-account manipulation, as well as identifying and responding to disinformation, to better understand and counter these.”

A third delegation member speaking at the media event was Ivan Choi, project manager at the New School for Democracy.

Choi focused on the role of the Hong Kong authorities in “transnational repression and the risk that ordinary travel and entry routes may be used to monitor, pressure or disrupt activities abroad.”

He put forward three requests: that the EU continue to follow up on the 2024 resolutions on Hong Kong and assess their implementation; that it review the status of Hong Kong’s trade offices and the risks of sharing sensitive information or conducting law-enforcement cooperation with the Hong Kong authorities; and that it provide safe reporting channels and practical support for people facing threats, while promoting exchanges between Taiwan and Europe on how to respond.

Choi stressed that identifying transnational repression “must be based on specific conduct and evidence.”

“Being from Hong Kong should not, by itself, be grounds for suspicion.”

He also briefly shared his experience of allegedly being followed and photographed without consent in Taiwan, explaining that “transnational repression threatens not only personal safety but also the freedom of diaspora communities to discuss issues and participate in public life.”

Alicia Wu, another speaker addressing reporters, drew on Taiwan’s democratic development and her experience living in Sweden to highlight authoritarian pressure on Taiwanese identity, freedom of expression and press freedom.

She shared her experiences of harassment while supporting Taiwanese sports and cultural activities.