Ten Taiwanese Missing in China This Week; Travel Advisory Raised to Orange

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has announced that 10 Taiwanese citizens have gone missing in China this week, raising serious concerns about their safety. Among the missing is a group of four individuals who were traveling together, with their specific purpose for visiting China currently unknown. The MAC is actively working through various channels to ascertain their status and whereabouts.

In a separate incident, a Taiwanese local court judge was reportedly questioned by three police officers after they entered his hotel room during a trip to northern China. The authorities inquired about his profession, differences between judicial systems, and his views on China. The MAC noted that Chinese police had prior information about the judge and approached him for verification.

“

For this judge, the police even invited him to join WeChat for future contact. MAC wants to remind civil servants that if there is no specific reason, do not go to China.

MAC spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh stated that since January 2024, 30 individuals with Taiwanese citizenship have been detained or questioned in China, with 14 of them holding public servant positions. Given these developments, the council has upgraded its travel advisory for China to orange, strongly advising civil servants against traveling to the mainland unless absolutely necessary. The government is focused on confirming the well-being of the missing individuals and determining if they are being detained.

“

This week, 10 new Taiwanese citizens went missing after traveling to China, with one group of four all disappearing. Another went to visit relatives, one for job seeking, and the reasons for the other four are unknown.