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China to prosecute Taiwan activist for 'secession' Fucha: China reveals arrest of Taiwan-based publisher on security grounds
(1 day later)
China has detained a number of Taiwan-linked individuals in recent weeks Li Yanhe has published books that are critical of Beijing.
China says it will prosecute a Taiwanese man for alleged secession, in the latest move against Taiwan-linked individuals on mainland Chinese soil. China says it is investigating a Taiwan-based publisher for allegedly "endangering national security", in another move against Taiwan-linked individuals on the Chinese mainland.
Yang Chih-yuan, the founder of a pro-independence Taiwanese political party, was detained in China last year. Li Yanhe, who uses the pen name Fucha, published books critical of Beijing.
In recent weeks China has also detained a book publisher and reporters working for a Taiwan broadcaster. Beijing's confirmation of Mr Li's detention ends days of speculation about his whereabouts.
Taiwan has criticised China's "arbitrary arrests", saying they were "severely damaging" to human rights. Taiwan has criticised China's "arbitrary arrests" of Taiwan residents as human rights breaches.
The latest case centres on Mr Yang, who was based in Taiwan and had founded the Taiwanese National Party. Confirmation of the publisher's arrest came a day after China said it would prosecute the founder of a pro-Taiwanese independence party for alleged secession.
The 32-year-old had travelled to China last year for unknown reasons. In August, he was arrested in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou on suspicion of "separatism". Mr Li, the book publisher, was born in China and relocated to Taiwan in 2009. There, he set up Gusa Press, which has published books that are critical of Beijing.
At the time his detention was linked to a Chinese crackdown on "separatists" amid tensions over former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan. Friends say Mr Li had arrived in China earlier this month to visit relatives and to take part in Qing Ming, the annual Chinese tomb-sweeping festival.
On Tuesday, Chinese authorities said they had completed an investigation into Yang Chih-yuan and had put him under formal arrest. Reports that he was missing emerged about a week ago. Zhu Fenglian from China's Taiwan Affairs Office said Mr Li's rights would be respected during the investigation.
Chinese state media reported that he had been "poisoned by thoughts of Taiwan independence secessionism for a long time" and been "actively scheming" to work towards formal statehood for Taiwan. Dozens of writers, scholars and activists have called for his release.
Through his party he had "actively planned and implemented" a series of events to "seek independence and reject unification", fuelling cross-strait tensions. The Taiwan Foreign Correspondents Club on Monday called in China to "respect the freedom of the press that it enshrines in its constitution, and to release all unjustly imprisoned media workers".
State media also said that Mr Yang had advocated for Hong Kong's independence with other "separatist" forces. Mr Li's case has been widely compared with the disappearance of five Hong Kong booksellers in 2015 from a shop known for selling works critical of China.
The issue of "secession" is sensitive in China as it sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be brought under Beijing's control. They eventually turned up in the custody of mainland Chinese authorities, amid an investigation into their publishing business.
On Tuesday, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, a cabinet-level agency responsible for cross-strait relations, said it had repeatedly asked for Mr Yang to be released since his arrest in August, but did not receive a positive response from China.
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News of Mr Yang's prosecution comes after the disappearance of Taiwan-based book publisher Li Yanhe earlier this month. China's focus on Taiwan-linked individuals appears to have increased in recent times.
Chinese authorities have not released any details on Mr Li's case, and his alleged arrest was first reported by his friends. On Tuesday, Chinese authorities said they had completed an investigation into Taiwanese National Party founder Yang Chih-yuan and had put him under formal arrest.
Mr Li, who is better known by his pen name Fucha, was born in China and relocated to Taiwan in 2009. There, he set up Gusa Press, which has published books that are critical of Beijing. The 32-year-old had been in China for unknown reasons. In August, he was arrested in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou on suspicion of "separatism".
Friends say Mr Li had arrived in China earlier this month to visit relatives as well as for Qing Ming, the annual Chinese tomb-sweeping festival. At the time his detention was linked to a Chinese crackdown on "separatists" amid tensions over the then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan.
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said last week that Li was "safe" and that the government is paying attention to the case, but declined to give further details. Chinese state media reports said he had been "poisoned by thoughts of Taiwan independence secessionism for a long time" and been "actively scheming" to work towards formal statehood for Taiwan.
Mr Li's alleged detention has been widely compared with the disappearance of five Hong Kong booksellers in 2015 from a shop known for selling works critical of China. They eventually turned up in the custody of mainland Chinese authorities, amid an investigation into their publishing business. Through his party, he had "actively planned and implemented" a series of events to "seek independence and reject unification".
Dozens of writers, scholars and activists have called for his release. The Taiwan Foreign Correspondents Club said on Monday that China should "respect the freedom of the press that it enshrines in its constitution, and to release all unjustly imprisoned media workers". State media also said that Mr Yang had advocated for Hong Kong's independence with other "separatist" forces.
The issue of "secession" is sensitive in China. Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be brought under its control.
On Tuesday, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, a cabinet-level agency responsible for cross-strait relations, said it had repeatedly asked for Mr Yang to be released since his arrest in August, but had not received a positive response from China.
Also this month, two Taiwan-based reporters for Taiwan's EBC News were detained by Chinese authorities while filming military exercises in Pingtan county in China's Fujian province.Also this month, two Taiwan-based reporters for Taiwan's EBC News were detained by Chinese authorities while filming military exercises in Pingtan county in China's Fujian province.
Local media have identified the reporters by the last names, Huang and Li. They are said to be safe and maintain daily contact with a director at their company.Local media have identified the reporters by the last names, Huang and Li. They are said to be safe and maintain daily contact with a director at their company.
Taiwanese authorities on Tuesday reminded their residents to "assess relevant risks" before visiting China.Taiwanese authorities on Tuesday reminded their residents to "assess relevant risks" before visiting China.
"You should realise that mainland China is accustomed to random violations of personal safety," a MAC spokesperson said."You should realise that mainland China is accustomed to random violations of personal safety," a MAC spokesperson said.
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