Chen Pei-chi's 'High-Speed Rail Rescue' Widely Reported by Chinese Media, Netizens Question Coincidence

Chen Pei-chi, the wife of former Taiwan People's Party chairman Ko Wen-je, recounted an incident where she used her 35 years of pediatric experience to assist a child suffering from abdominal pain during a high-speed train journey in China. She shared the experience on Facebook during a week-long trip with her son, noting their safe return without incident.

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She shared that while traveling on the high-speed train from Hangzhou to Beijing, she happened to hear a broadcast seeking medical personnel. She then used the medicine and pulse oximeter she carried to assist a child with abdominal pain, successfully alleviating the symptoms with her 35 years of pediatric expertise.

Chen's account of helping the child on the high-speed train from Hangzhou to Beijing gained significant attention from Chinese state media, including "Taihai Shike," "Kan Kan Xin Wen," and "China News Network." The reports framed her experience as a counter-narrative to official warnings issued by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council regarding Taiwanese citizens going missing or being detained in China. The council reported 402 such cases between 2024 and mid-July of the current year.

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While the DPP authorities continue to stir up the topic of Taiwanese going missing in mainland China, Chen Pei-chi's pleasant return trip to the mainland undoubtedly adds another solid blow to this lie.

However, the narrative faced skepticism online, with many netizens on Threads questioning the highly coincidental nature of the event. Comments suggested the story was an "elaborate script," pointing out the improbable alignment of circumstances: being in China, on a high-speed train, encountering a medical emergency, having the necessary medication and a pulse oximeter, and being recognized by Chinese media.

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She happened to go to China, happened to take the high-speed train, happened to have a child with a situation at that time, happened to have appropriate medicine and a pulse oximeter in her luggage to save the child, happened to be recognized by people in China, and happened to be interviewed by Chinese news. Everything in this world is so coincidental.

Critics also drew parallels to Ko Wen-je's past statements, where he questioned the frequency of President Lai Ching-te encountering individuals needing medical assistance in public. Netizens sarcastically remarked on the apparent contradiction, highlighting how Chen's own seemingly convenient medical encounter contrasted with her husband's previous skepticism about similar public incidents.

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Ko Wen-je himself, as a first aid expert, rarely encounters people collapsing or fainting in public places. He thought it was strange that the non-expert Lai Ching-te frequently handled such situations himself.