Taipei [Taiwan], October 19 : The number of Taiwanese nationals reported missing, detained for questioning or suspected of having their freedom of movement restricted in China has risen to 458 this year, according to statistics released by Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), as cited by the Taipei Times.
The figures, released on Saturday and covering cases through Friday, showed an increase of four people compared with the previous week, which covered cases through October 8.
According to the MAC statistics cited by the Taipei Times, 175 Taiwanese nationals have been reported missing, up from 173 a week earlier. Meanwhile, 41 people have been detained for questioning, compared with 39 in the previous reporting period. Another 242 Taiwanese nationals were being held by Chinese authorities, with that figure remaining unchanged.
Separately, Straits Exchange Foundation Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia said on Friday that Taiwanese members of the I-Kuan Tao religious group who had been living in China for years were detained in separate cases between April and July, and none had been released, the Taipei Times reported.
Luo identified four cases involving Taiwanese nationals living in mainland China. The April case involved a person residing in Fujian Province who held a Chinese residence permit. In May, a Taiwanese teacher working in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, was detained. The June case concerned a Taiwanese businessperson based in Shenzhen, while the July case involved a retired Taiwanese resident who had moved to Zhangzhou, Fujian Province.
Luo said the common factor in all four cases was that the individuals were followers of I-Kuan Tao.
According to the Taipei Times, Luo noted that earlier cases involving Taiwanese followers of the religious group had generally occurred during short-term visits or cross-strait cultural exchange activities. However, the latest incidents involved people who had lived and worked in China for extended periods and were reportedly detained for religious reasons.
Warning that circumstances previously considered safe could change, Luo urged I-Kuan Tao followers to return to Taiwan for their own protection.
He also called for the travel risk level for members of the religious group visiting China to be raised to a “red alert,” advising them to return to Taiwan immediately.
The Taipei Times report further cited Luo as saying that three Taiwanese I-Kuan Tao followers were detained in China in October 2024 and prosecuted under Article 300 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China. They received prison sentences ranging from two to three years.
Of the three individuals, one remains imprisoned, another has completed the sentence and returned to Taiwan, while the third has finished serving the sentence but has not yet been able to return to Taiwan, Luo said.
The cases have raised further concerns over the safety of Taiwanese nationals living in or travelling to mainland China.