Couple at center of China spy-ring allegations found in Taiwan and exit-restricted

Gong Qing hides her face in Taipei City after being exit-restricted on suspicion of violating National Security law

November 26, 2019November 26, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Chinese espionage, election, spy scandal, Wang Liqiang

The director of a Hong Kong-listed company who was named as an alleged high-level Chinese intelligence operative in an explosive media expose in Australia a few days ago was stopped at Taoyuan International Airport Sunday night, and has been restricted from leaving the country after being interviewed by prosecutors. Xiang Xin (向心) and his wife Gong Qing (龔青) were named by Wang Liqiang as the heads of a front company working for the Chinese intelligence service, during a media interview

Politics

November 23, 2019June 7, 2020 Phillip Charlier 2 Comments Han Guo-yu, Taiwan democracy, Taiwan Presidential Elections, Wang Liqiang

Opposition presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu appeared to be on the back foot today, when he struck out at allegations that Chinese Communist Party-backed operatives had invested RMB1.5 billion (NT$6 billion) to push Taiwanese media to promote his campaign to unseat the Democratic Progressive party in last year’s nationwide local elections. “If I took one cent from the Chinese Communist Party, I will resign from the Presidential race,” Han Guo-yu said, gesticulating in an angry manner. Han was responding to allegations

Politics

November 23, 2019November 23, 2019 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment Chinese espionage, elections, Taiwan President

A Chinese operative was so successful in influencing Taiwan’s municipal elections in favor of candidates including Han Kuo-yu in 2018, he was given the task of interfering with the upcoming presidential elections with the aim of unseating President Tsai Ing-wen, the man told Australian media. Wang Liqian decided instead to risk his life by defecting to Australia, The Age newspaper reported today, November 23. Wang has offered “a trove of unprecedented inside intelligence” on how the Chinese government conducts political

Protest

October 16, 2019October 16, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment democracy, doxxing, Hong Kong, protests

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today, “severely condemned” the leaking of personal information of at least eight Taiwanese citizens on a website set up to expose the identities of Hong Kong pro-democracy supporters. The website “Hong Kong Leaks” was set up in mid September, listing the names, dates of birth, social media accounts, phone numbers, and even residential addresses of people accused of “messing up Hong Kong”, along with profile pictures for easy identification. After the original site, hosted using

Protest

June 1, 2019June 1, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment democracy, international-relations, June 4

On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the Trade Office of Taiwan in Munich issued an appeal to like-minded nations to support Taiwan’s liberal and democratic society, in the face of threats from it’s belligerent neighbor, the People’s Republic of China. One of four Taiwanese representative offices in Germany, the Munich office published a picture on their Facebook page of pandas driving tanks facing a Formosan black bear bearing two cases, one labeled “democracy,” and

Politics

April 13, 2019April 13, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment China, Li Yi, 李毅

A Chinese scholar who urges the government of China to take Taiwan by military force was deported this morning, April 12, after his tourist visa was cancelled yesterday. Li Yi (李毅), who identifies himself as “an American sociologist”, came to Taiwan under the guise of tourism, but was found to be due to appear as a speaker at a China unification support parade to be held in Taichung City tomorrow, Saturday, April 13. The parade, to be followed by a

Politics

March 30, 2019March 30, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Czech, international-relations, Prague

The Mayor of Prague visited Taipei this week, and China responded by pressuring the Czech Republic to expel Taiwan’s representative from an economic meeting held in the country. Prague’s mayor, Zdeněk Hřib, was in Taipei from March 26 to March 29 to attend the Smart City Summit and Expo. During his visit, Hřib met with Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je, and noted that since his last stay, 14 years ago, both Taipei and Prague had changed a lot, but both cities

Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang and Winnie the Pooh

Politics

February 6, 2019February 6, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment African Swine Flu, Executive Yuan Premier, Su Tseng-chang, Winnie the Pooh, Xi Jinping

In a move seen by some as mocking PRC President Xi Jinping, Premier Su Tseng-chang released a video in which he held a Winnie the Pooh doll up as he exhorted the government of China to strengthen epidemic prevention, and share information with its neighbors. The video, posted to Premier Su’s Facebook page yesterday, came in the form of a faux cooking show, in which Su and his assistant demonstrated the importance of cooking pork thoroughly to prevent the spread

Politics

January 9, 2019January 9, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment cross-strait issues, poll, Taiwan President, Tsai Ing-wen

The results of a poll released today showed that more than 80% of respondents rejected the idea of “one country, two systems,” and a majority believe that there is no “1992 consensus.” The survey undertaken by the Cross-Strait Policy Association was conducted to measure the public’s response to a series of recent statements by leaders in China and Taiwan that Foreign Policy labeled “dueling speeches.” In a New Years Day address, President Tsai Ing-wen unveiled the “four musts” policy, demanding

Protest

July 20, 2018July 20, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment CKS Memorial Hall, Taipei City

The statue of Chiang Kai-shek at CKS Memorial Hall in Taipei City was splashed with red paint today, as Taiwan Independence activists protested wasting Taiwan’s resources on maintaining Chinese authoritarian relics. At around 9:30am, youth activists from the group From Ethnos to Nation (FETN) entered the memorial hall and threw paint bombs at the huge statue of former President of the Republic of China, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. The activists then unfurled banners in Taiwanese and English that read, “Eliminate Chinese

Politics

Couple at center of China spy-ring allegations found in Taiwan and exit-restricted

Chilling details of Chinese interference in Taiwan’s democratic elections emerge: KMT presidential candidate strikes out in defense

Faced with the task of interfering in Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election, China spy seeks political asylum in Australia

Personal information of Taiwanese Hong Kong democracy supporters included on pro-China doxxing website

Taiwan consulate in Germany calls for like-minded countries to support Taiwan’s liberal democracy

Chinese unification by military force advocate deported from Taiwan

The Mayor of Prague is a friend of Taiwan, and it irritates China’s authoritarian Regime

Premier holds Winnie the Pooh as he urges Chinese government to come clean on swine flu

More than 80% of Taiwanese reject one country two systems according to poll

CKS Statue Splashed with Red Paint at CKS Memorial Hall