Beijing alleges national security offences against Taiwan publisher Li Yanhe, who disappeared in Shanghai last month. At a news conference on Wednesday, Zhu Fenglian, Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman, said Li, Gusa Publishing’s editor-in-chief, is being investigated “on suspicion of engaging in activities endangering national security” and that his “legitimate rights and interests” will be protected. Gusa wrote a history of claimed Chinese tyranny in Xinjiang and a book on Beijing’s global propaganda. In 2015, some Hong Kong booksellers who published anti-Chinese government writings disappeared before returning to the mainland.
A day after charging Taiwan activist Yang Chih-yuan with “secession,” Beijing confirmed Li’s inquiry. China wants to annex Taiwan by force. Since 2016, President Tsai Ing-wen has faced increasing pressure. Beijing calls her a “separatist,” but Tsai says Taiwanese should decide their own path. Dissident Chinese poet Bei Ling wrote on Facebook last week that Li was suspected to have been “secretly detained” in Shanghai while visiting relatives last month. Saturday saw writers and intellectuals demand his release. The family of famous Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu says he was seized on espionage allegations during a Beijing restaurant meeting with a Japanese ambassador. Guangming Daily’s deputy editorial chief, Dong, produced liberal pieces and contacted international journalists and officials to grasp world trends. His relatives said Chinese officials considered such communications proof of espionage, which may result in more than 10 years in prison.
More than 60 people, including famous international journalists and academics, signed a petition requesting the Chinese government to rethink the accusations against Dong, stating encounters with foreign officials and journalists should not be considered espionage. “Who would want to come to China to meet Chinese journalists, academics, or diplomats if these meetings could be used as evidence that the Chinese side is committing espionage?” they said in the petition. In August 2020, China arrested Australian news anchor Cheng Lei for espionage. Her March 2022 secret trial verdict is pending. Australia has “deep concerns” about the delays a year after the experiment.
