TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC, 大陸委員會) on Tuesday (Dec. 24) warned Taiwanese citizens about the lack of religious freedom under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP, 中國共產黨). The MAC described religious exchanges promoted by the CCP as tools for political unification efforts. The statement follows the arrest of three I-Kuan Tao (一貫道) Taiwanese practitioners in Guangdong, China, on charges related to disrupting legal enforcement.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office (中國國務院台灣事務辦公室) recently confirmed the October arrests and noted that the three individuals have secured legal representation. Lo Wen-chia (羅文嘉), secretary-general of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF, 海峽交流基金會), explained that the detainees, all over 70, traveled to China to study Confucian classics (四書五經) and did not engage in political activities.
The Ministry of Interior (內政部) issued a press release highlighting the increasing frequency of cross-strait religious exchanges and expressed concerns that some religious groups might cooperate with CCP unification activities. MAC did not reveal specific measures to halt these exchanges but urged citizens to recognize the political nature of CCP-led religious interactions.