Taiwanese Legislator Indicted for Illicit Import of Chinese COVID-19 Test Kits

Independent legislator Kao Chin Su-mei faces indictment for allegedly orchestrating the illicit import of tens of thousands of unauthorized rapid COVID-19 test kits from China during the height of the pandemic. Prosecutors accuse her team of exploiting a temporary policy allowing personal imports to bypass regulatory checks.

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Kao Chin's team allegedly used proxy declarations to import 74,400 rapid test kits from China, distributing them to indigenous areas.

According to the indictment, Kao Chin's team allegedly collected a large number of individuals to act as proxies, using their names to import 74,400 rapid test kits from China between May and June 2022. This period coincided with a policy by Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center that permitted individuals to import up to 100 test kits for personal use via simplified customs procedures, without requiring prior import licenses.

Prosecutors contend that Kao Chin, despite knowing the policy was strictly for personal use, authorized her then-office director, Chang Chun-chieh, to manage the import plan. Office assistants and local personnel were reportedly involved in gathering proxy lists and coordinating with a Chinese company, Xiamen Baotai Biotechnology Co., to ship the test kits to Taiwan. The indictment states that these kits were not intended for the individuals whose names were used for import but were instead centrally managed and distributed by Kao Chin's team, primarily to indigenous communities.

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The policy allowing personal imports was only for 'personal use'; using them for others required proper application and inspection.

The Taipei District Prosecutors Office has charged Kao Chin, Chang Chun-chieh, and 10 others with violating the Medical Device Act and other related offenses. The prosecution argues that this scheme constituted a large-scale import of medical devices intended for distribution to others, thereby exceeding the scope of personal use and contravening import regulations.

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The collected proxy lists were emailed to the contact window at China's Xiamen Baotai Biotechnology Co. to arrange the import of test kits provided free of charge.