China is likely to detain more Taiwanese people under a law that targets supporters of independence in a bid to pile pressure on the new president, senior security officials from the island said.
A recent move by Beijing to flesh out the law amounted to weaponizing domestic legislation against Taiwan, the two officials, who asked not to be identified discussing the sensitive issue, said at a briefing in Taipei on Friday. The officials were speaking based on assessments made by Taiwan’s national security apparatus rather than any intelligence they had gathered.
There have been 15 detentions in recent years, the officials said. Taiwanese could be taken into custody in China, they added, or in places that had extradition treaties with the nation, though that scenario hasn’t happened yet. Any detentions would worsen cross-strait ties, they added.