Taiwanese businessman Robert Tsao said on Nov. 11 that he will sue senior Chinese communist regime officials who sanctioned him over his political views on Taiwan.
The CCP’s China-Taiwan Affairs Office last month sanctioned Tsao and Taiwanese lawmaker Puma Shen for their ties to these training programs, stating that the two were seeking to “incite separatism.” Chinese officials banned Tsao and Shen from traveling to China, Hong Kong, and Macau, and barred their affiliated businesses from “seeking profit” in China.
On Monday, Tsao held a press conference announcing his lawsuit against the CCP’s Taiwan Affairs Office head, Song Tao, and spokesperson, Chen Binhua, for intimidation and endangerment of his personal safety.
One of Tsao’s lawyers, Cheng Wen-lung, acknowledged that the CCP officials do not visit Taiwan, and the court’s jurisdiction would not extend to China.
“Legally, we have to do this,” Cheng said. “Taiwan is in a difficult spot, but we have to work hard. You cannot not do anything.”
Black Bear Academy
The CCP has stepped up military intimidation against Taiwan, regularly staging war games around the island, especially after Taiwan President Lai Ching-te took office in May.“Many Taiwanese become ostriches [when facing China],” he said, “They think China won’t launch a war if Taiwan doesn’t anger it.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited Taiwan in early August 2022, angering Beijing, which launched a wave of military drills targeting the island after her visit. Days later, Tsao condemned the CCP war games and made his $100 million donation to the Taiwanese government.
He said the CCP was an entity that worships “totalitarianism, deceit, hatred, and violence,” and warned that submitting to the regime would not guarantee Taiwan’s peace.
“Look at the homicidal fierceness and haughtiness displayed before and after Pelosi’s Taiwan visit by China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, Taiwan Affairs Office, and Hu Xijin [journalist],” Tsao said. “China’s lies—including Taiwanese and Chinese are brothers and that Chinese won’t engage in combat with Taiwanese—can’t stand any test.”
A month later, in September 2022, Tsao donned a tactical vest and announced the $33 million donation toward two civilian defense programs, known as the Black Bear Academy. More than half of the funds went toward a program to train 3 million civilians over the next three years and the rest toward a program that would train 300,000 expert marksmen.