China’s state broadcaster CCTV aired a video on October 9 targeting Taiwanese legislator Shen Po-yang, featuring legal experts who claimed Beijing could seek his arrest worldwide through Interpol and cross-border law enforcement cooperation. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council issued its strongest condemnation to date, calling the move an intimidation tactic meant to coerce Taiwanese citizens into self-censorship.
Shen has been outspoken on defending Taiwan against Chinese influence operations, pushing legislation involving international law, propaganda warfare, national security, and “gray-zone” threats. On October 15, 2024, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office placed him on its list of so-called “Taiwan independence diehards” and announced sanctions against him.
The Chongqing Public Security Bureau has since opened a case against Shen. In CCTV’s broadcast, several legal scholars argued that Beijing could use global policing mechanisms to pursue him abroad. The segment closed with a direct warning to all pro-independence voices: “Stop now, or you’ll be next.”
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council denounced the video as a dangerous escalation, saying Beijing is moving from targeting individual politicians to threatening the broader population—an attempt to impose a chilling effect on free speech. The council described the campaign as transnational repression that violates international law and poses a challenge to global norms.
According to the council, China aims to create a misleading international narrative that it holds legal jurisdiction over Taiwan. Officials cautioned that such operations could eventually threaten ordinary Taiwanese citizens, not just elected representatives. The government, they said, is working with democratic partners to counter unlawful cross-border repression and resist China’s claims of long-arm jurisdiction.
The council reiterated that Beijing has no authority over Taiwan and assured the public that Taiwan has both the ability and determination to protect its people.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), November 9, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202511090124.aspx