TAIPEI: Taiwans government is considering warning its citizens about risks of travelling to countries with strong ties to China, including Laos and Cambodia, because they could be caught up in Beijings campaign against Taiwan independence supporters, according to a senior Taiwan official and an internal memo.
China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own despite the islands rejection, last year issued guidelines to punish diehard Taiwan independence activists, including with the death penalty, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction on the island.
Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, according to a government memo reviewed by Reuters and a senior Taiwan security official. Both cited intelligence gathered by Taipei for that assessment.
Taiwans foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Chinas Taiwan affairs office and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Those countries include Cambodia, Laos and some unspecified African nations, the senior Taiwan official said. Taiwanese in those countries could risk being taken in for investigation for suspicion of supporting independence, the official said, citing Taiwans assessment of the development and speaking on the condition of anonymity.
They might be taken for questioning by the local or Chinese police there, at least to psychologically intimidate them, the official told Reuters.
The foreign ministries in Cambodia and Laos did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Taiwan security agencies have been looking at whether to raise the alert level for travel to certain countries for its citizens, the official said. Reuters was not able to establish whether any decision has been made on the alert or the countries for which that review was underway.
Taiwan has concluded that some countries, including some in Southeast Asia, have declined to cooperate with Chinas request, the official said.
Taiwan has complained of a pattern of ramped-up pressure by China in recent years, including military actions, trade sanctions and coast guard patrols around Taiwan-controlled islands next to China.
Beijings guidelines issued in June instructed Chinas courts, prosecutors and state security agents to severely punish Taiwan independence diehards for what it called secession.
The instruction was given during a two-day meeting on Taiwan that began Feb 25, the memo said, citing Taiwans intelligence. The meeting was led by Wang Huning, who is part of the Communist Partys elite politburo standing committee and one of President Xi Jinpings closest advisers, the memo said.
In the meeting, Beijings embassies and overseas police stations in countries with a high degree of trust with China were asked to implement the guidelines by targeting Taiwanese tourists, students and residents, the Taiwan government memo said.
Chinas government has previously denied maintaining overseas police stations but has said there are volunteer-run centres outside China that help Chinese citizens renew documents and offer other services.
Taiwans government raised its travel warning for China in June last year following the threat from Beijing, which drew condemnation from Taipei and Washington.
Taiwans foreign ministry currently has its second-highest orange travel alert for both Cambodia and Laos, telling its citizens not to go unless absolutely necessary due to scam centres which detain and traffic Chinese speakers to work in them.
Chinas 20-year-old Anti-Secession Law gives the country the legal basis for military action against Taiwan if it secedes or the possibility of peaceful reunification is exhausted. The law is vague on what constitutes Taiwan independence.
Taiwans government rejects Beijings sovereignty claims and says only the islands people can decide their future.
Taiwan, which has its own military, passport and currency, is governed independently as the Republic of China, its official name. The Republican government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedongs communists, who set up the Peoples Republic of China.