TAIPEI (TVBS News) — China's Taiwan Affairs Office (國台辦) announced Wednesday (Sept. 25) that authorities are investigating a 22-year-old Taiwanese man surnamed Guo for alleged fraud across multiple locations. Officials have pledged to handle the case strictly according to the law.
Guo went missing after entering Shanghai on Aug. 27.
Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮), a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office, did not disclose Guo's current whereabouts during a routine press conference.
Zhu addressed why Chinese authorities did not notify Taiwan under the "Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement" (海峽兩岸共同打擊犯罪及司法互助協議). She stated that the reasons affecting the agreement's implementation are well known. Zhu also assured that authorities would protect the legal rights of those involved.
In 2009, the Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF, 台灣海峽交流基金會) and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS, 中國海峽兩岸關係協會) signed a judicial mutual assistance agreement, requiring prompt notifications.
However, in 2014, Chinese authorities failed to immediately notify Taiwan actor Kai Ko (柯震東) was arrested in Beijing for marijuana use, highlighting discrepancies in notification expectations between the two sides.
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC, 大陸委員會) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) expressed dissatisfaction on Tuesday over the delayed communication. He stated that China only responded after the issue gained attention in Taiwan and urged for proactive notifications to prevent families from enduring unnecessary anxiety.