Taiwan Warns Citizens Not to Travel to China

Taiwan Warns Citizens Not to Travel to China
Image copyright: Alex Wong/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

  • Taiwan raised its travel alert for China and the Chinese-run territories of Hong Kong and Macao on Thursday, warning its citizens not to go unless necessary.

  • This comes as Chinese authorities announced last week a set of judicial guidelines to allow Taiwan independence supporters to be tried in absentia in certain cases, including for crimes punishable by death.


The Spin

Anti-China narrative

For the time being, Taiwanese nationals must avoid traveling — even for a transfer flight — to China and its semi-autonomous territories or taking a Chinese airline due to the risk of illegal arrests as Beijing moves to weaponize its judicial system against Taiwan. The international community must step in to stop the PRC from breaching international law.

Pro-China narrative

Taiwanese authorities have broadened the interpretation of new Chinese guidelines on imposing criminal punishments on separatists to deliberately mislead the public into believing that Beijing is now targeting everyone living on the island. That's utterly false, as the guidelines clearly focus on diehard secessionists.


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