CCP Announces the Arrest of Taiwan-Born Activist After Pelosi Departed From Taiwan

People eat as a television broadcasts news about U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, at a restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug. 1, 2022. Ann Wang/Rueters

China announced the detention of a Taiwanese activist after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) finished her visit to Taiwan.

The state security from eastern China’s Zhejiang placed Yang Zhi-yuan, a leader of the Taiwanese National Party, under criminal detention and investigation for allegedly endangering national security, according to state-run media CCTV’s report on Aug. 3.

The arrest seems to be part of what the regime promised as the consequence of escalated tension across the Taiwan Strait for Pelosi’s visit.

Taiwan voiced its concern about the arbitrary arrest of its people.

CCP Targets Taiwanese Activists

The 32-year-old Yang was born in Taiwan, and the arrest was due to his activities in “promoting Taiwan to become a sovereign and independent country and join the United Nations,” reported the state mouthpiece Xinhua News.

The regime often labels pro-democracy activists from outside China as separatists, with charges such as engaging in or undermining state security.

Yang was not the only one detained under such an allegation.

Lee Ming-che, a Taiwanese activist, was arrested in Guangdong province and convicted in 2017. He was the first Taiwanese sentenced with the charge of “subversion of state power.”

Lee was released in April. He was one of the democratic activists Pelosi met during her visit to Taiwan.

Taiwan lawmaker Chiu Hsien-chih (middle in the first row) attends a rally urging the Chinese authorities to release Lee Ming-che, a Taiwanese pro-democracy activist, on March 18, 2022. Lee was arrested during a visit to mainland China in 2017 and sentenced by the Chinese communist regime to five years in prison on alleged subversion charges. Courtesy of Chiu Hsien-chih

Taiwan Warns of Travel to China

In a press conference on Aug. 4 local time, Taiwan responded to the arrest of Yang.

The spokesperson of the Mainland Affairs Council, Chui-Cheng Chiu, strongly opposed China’s arbitrary detentions of Taiwanese on the grounds of national security. He indicated that it was a malicious political manipulation by the regime that undermined cross-strait relations and security.

Chiu also advised people to seriously evaluate the risk of visiting China.

Li Jing contributed to this report.