The People’s Republic of China (PRC) may be expanding its transnational repression campaign against Taiwanese individuals who speak out against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to include violent intimidation. Taiwanese comedian Huang Yi-hao was allegedly attacked by assailants in Taiwan acting on the instructions of an instigator in the PRC who sought to inflict serious injuries. Huang was likely targeted due to his xiangsheng comedy skit that satirized General Secretary Xi Jinping.
Taiwan’s role in Xi Jinping’s vision to achieve “national rejuvenation” could result in more transnational repression against Taiwanese individuals. Beijing’s enthusiasm for clamping down on dissent against the CCP may increasingly threaten the safety of individuals in Taiwan and the nation’s sovereignty.
Previous transnational repression cases involving Chinese-origin foreign nationals, Hong Kongers, Tibetan, and Uyghur activists show the willingness of the PRC to employ physical means outside its borders to intimidate individuals who voice undesirable opinions.
Recent violence in PRC transnational repression has drawn comparisons to Soviet and Russian tactics, which include assassinations and attempted assassinations of political opponents abroad, such as the 2018 Salisbury poisonings in the United Kingdom.
The extent to which the PRC is willing to employ lethal violence, however, as well as the level of direct state involvement in clandestine operations, remains unclear.
The Jamestown Foundation, Taiwan Attacks and Possible Violence in PRC Repression
