China detains Taiwan-based publisher on national security grounds

Confirmation follows formal arrest of Taiwanese independence activist

People gather around tables with newly released books on display during the Taipei International Book Exhibition on Jan. 31. 

THOMPSON CHAU, Contributing writerApril 26, 2023 19:01 JST

 

TAIPEI -- China has detained a Taiwan-based publisher on the grounds he has allegedly endangered national security, in another move that raises concerns about China's arbitrary arrests.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office confirmed Wednesday the detention of Li Yanhe, who writes with the pen name Fucha, ending days of speculation.

Arbitrary arrests of publishers and journalists by China have shown signs of intensifying in recent years, at times leading to accusations of hostage diplomacy. Jimmy Lai, a British citizen who founded now-defunct media outlet Apple Daily, was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison after being convicted of fraud. He also faces an upcoming national security trial.

According to Reporters without Borders, China is the world's largest captor of journalists and has currently detained more than 120.

Li was arrested in Shanghai during a visit to see relatives and to take part in the annual Chinese tomb-sweeping festival, his supporters said. In a social media post last week, the Chinese writer Bei Ling said Li went to China in March to visit his family and deal with residency-related issues.

Born in China, Li relocated to Taiwan with his partner in 2009. In Taiwan, he set up and edited Gusa Press, a major publisher that has produced books critical of the Chinese establishment.

An April 22 statement by Taiwanese translators, academics and writers, said neither Li's lawyer nor family members have been allowed to see him, and communication with him has been severely restricted.

Li's case has parallels with how five Hong Kong booksellers disappeared, one from Thailand, in 2015 before resurfacing in custody in mainland China offering "confessions." They were selling gossip-filled publications about Chinese leaders.

"In Taiwan, freedom of speech and publication, and academic freedom are like the air we breathe," the joint statement said. "Under Fu Cha's leadership as Editor-in-Chief, Gusa's books have been very popular with Chinese-language readers around the world for their diversity and the inspiration they provide. We believe Fu Cha has not committed any crime in utilizing these freedoms," the signatories said, urging China to "immediately release" him.

The Taiwan Foreign Correspondents' Club urged the Chinese government to "respect the freedom of the press that it enshrines in its constitution, and to release all unjustly imprisoned media workers."

Communist China has never ruled Taiwan but claims it as its own territory. As Xi Jinping ratchets up the pressure on Taiwan, Beijing has also detained and cracked down on Taiwanese nationals and Taiwan-linked individuals.

Last April, China freed Lee Ming-che, a Taiwanese democracy activist, after putting him behind bars for five years, in one of the most high-profile detentions for a Taiwanese citizen.

The confirmation of Li's arrest came a day after China said it would prosecute the founder of a pro-Taiwanese independence party for alleged secession.

On Tuesday, the state apparatus in China said it had completed an investigation into Taiwanese National Party founder Yang Chih-yuan and had placed him under formal arrest.

The state security bureau in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou concluded its investigation into the charges against Yang related to "endangering national security," and the request to arrest him was approved by the Supreme People's Procuratorate, Beijing Daily said on Tuesday.

Last August, Yang was arrested in Wenzhou on suspicion of "separatism." The news of his arrest came hours after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrapped up her historic trip to Taiwan.

Yang was born in 1990 in the Taiwanese city of Taichung. He had served as vice chair of his fringe political party advocating Taiwan independence since 2019.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/China-detains-Taiwan-based-publisher-on-national-security-grounds