Violent attacks on critics of China in Taiwan raise concern over transnational repression

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- In September, comedian Huang Yi-hao was involved in a car accident, something that could happen to anyone. But one thing stood out: the men in the other car were unusually polite, and even offered to cover his medical bills and the damage to his car.

Huang later received a call from Taiwanese police telling him it wasn't an ordinary accident.

Taipei prosecutors in October charged five men for deliberately attempting to injure Huang in a case that has drawn attention across Taiwan. Authorities say it is part of a growing trend where operatives paid by China harass or attack people on the self-ruled island who are seen as critical of the government in Beijing.

“In the beginning, it was verbal harassment, then it morphed to pouring paint and property damage ... to the level of causing a fake car accident," Chiu Shao-Chou, the commissioner of Taiwan's Criminal investigation Bureau, said. "There's a trend of increasing severity, and that's something we have to take seriously.”

China's transnational repression an increasing worry

Taiwan is a democratic island claimed by Beijing, which hasn't ruled out using force to annex it. Taiwanese authorities have long worried about Chinese infiltration attempts, including spy plots targeting senior military officials and the president's bodyguards, disinformation schemes during elections or the use of cultural exchanges as a way to spread Communist Party ideology.

China's tactics to harass, spy on or even harm dissidents abroad have come to light in recent years. In 2023, authorities in New York made arrests in connection with secret police stations set up on behalf of the Chinese government to surveil Chinese dissidents.

Huang said the car attack might have been linked to his performance at the end of last year, in which he criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping and compared him to Winnie the Pooh. Huang is a comedian trained in the xiangsheng tradition, a form of Chinese comedic dialogue that relies heavily on wordplay and rhymes.

Prosecutors say the five men accepted about 450,000 New Taiwan dollars ($13,900) from someone from China who went by the alias “K” and wanted them to injure Huang seriously enough that he could no longer perform.

Huang said he had stopped collaborating with other comedians and believes his criticism of Xi is the reason. He said he knows of other comedians who had performances canceled in China and Taiwan because they had collaborated with him. He has no plans of taking his shows to China.

His solo shows, however, have sold out since the attack.

“The Communist Party is very childish. Your country’s leader was criticized by a comedian and as a result, you give such an aggressive response?” Huang said.

Hong Kong gangsters were involved in another attack

Hong Kong gangsters have been accused of plotting to assault Japanese political commentator Akio Yaita in what Taiwanese prosecutors called another instance of “transnational repression."

According to an October statement from prosecutors, five Hong Kong triad members, paid by a fellow gangster, entered Taiwan in early July and inspected the area around the hotel where Yaita was expected to give a speech. But before the attack, two withdrew, and the pair, alongside another member, left Taiwan, the statement said.

One of the men was offered 100,000 Hong Kong dollars ($12,750) to assault Yaita, the prosecutors said. He punched the commentator in the face and was later arrested, while another, who acted as a lookout, fled Taiwan.

Yaita, a former reporter in Beijing who now leads a think tank in Taiwan, believes the assault was linked to his remarks, including his criticism of the Chinese government’s policies.

“By violently attacking me, they hope to silence others who criticize China, including myself,” he said, adding that he wouldn't change his views.

The man who was arrested pleaded guilty on Tuesday and will be sentenced later, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported.

Analyst says the escalation is alarming

Matt Brazil, a fellow at The Jamestown Foundation in Washington, D.C., said the recent attacks represented a “big step beyond" sending navy ships and warplanes around the island. He said anyone in Taiwan who speaks out against Xi and the Chinese Communist Party could be a target.

“(It) shows that Beijing may be turning toward a more militant stance in acting against its critics (in Taiwan). If successful, the party may expand such tactics elsewhere,” he said.

Taiwan's police say the threat of transnational repression isn't limited to Taiwan. They said they are in close coordination with U.S. authorities about similar cases that involve Taiwanese nationals overseas.

In October, U.S. authorities arrested a woman in Los Angeles for allegedly conducting surveillance on the son of Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te on behalf of the Chinese government.

“Taiwan is a democratic and pluralistic society, but with these types of actions which harm our national security, the investigation of this is of the highest importance,” Chiu, the police commissioner, said. He added that police treat the cases as national-level threats and coordinate with immigration authorities, the coast guard and other government agencies.

Catching the criminals before they leave Taiwan is a top priority, he said, adding that police would also investigate Taiwanese collaborators.

The island's Mainland Affairs Council, which handles relations with China, said it would seek to strengthen the Anti-Infiltration Act — a law designed to punish such acts.

China rejects claims of transnational repression

In response to the attack on Yaita, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in July that the Hong Kong man who punched Yaita had acted out of “righteous indignation” and that it was an ordinary public security incident.

China denied any involvement in the attack on Huang. The Taiwan Affairs Office said Wednesday that “transnational repression” was a lie by Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party. It said that the party had created the Anti-Infiltration Act to suppress political dissidents and restrict cross-strait exchanges.

But for Huang, who now travels with a police escort to every performance, the intended message was clear.

“They want to tell everyone that there's a cost to criticizing the Chinese government and its leader. They want to tell people, clearly, ‘If you do something abroad, we will come deal with you, so shut your mouth and accept reunification.'”

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Wu reported from Bangkok. Leung reported from Hong Kong.