A Taiwanese advocate of democracy and rights, Lee Ming-che, who was imprisoned in China from 2017 to 2022 for “subversion” (as exemplified by talking about the democratization of Taiwan) is warning about Chinese religious organizations that seek to cooperate with Taiwanese religious organizations.
Since Chinese religious organizations must comply with Chinese Communist Party dictates to embody and spread CCP propaganda, any collaboration with Taiwanese counterparts can only be a means of furthering such propaganda, he reminds us.
Lee wants the ROC government to “impose stricter restrictions on religious exchanges initiated by Chinese organizations” (Taiwan News, December 25, 2024).
He noted that religious organizations in China must establish communist party branches, effectively eliminating religious freedom.
Lee’s comments are in response to the detainment of three elderly Taiwanese members of the I-Kuan Tao religious group in China since October. Calls for their release have been ignored and Taiwanese officials have warned that if Beijing refuses to free them, travel risks for Taiwanese citizens to China will increase and cross-strait religious exchanges may be put on hold.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Spokesperson Chen Binhua said the three individuals were arrested by Guangdong authorities under Chinese law. Chen assured that the relevant departments would conduct trials and safeguard the legal rights of the accused.
The spokesperson accused Taiwan’s DPP government of political manipulation and obstructing cross-strait exchanges.
The same Chinese government that talks about safeguarding the rights of the accused and that accuses the Republic of China of “obstructing cross-strait exchanges” detains and imprisons Taiwanese who cross the Taiwan Strait and talk about democracy and religion within China.
The same Chinese government regularly threatens to subjugate the Taiwanese.
The same Chinese government threatens to murder Taiwanese “separatists.” (Just the “diehard” ones, though.) But urges Taiwanese to visit China “in high spirits” anyway.
