Taiwan condemns “transnational repression” after US arrest

By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): Taiwan is speaking out after US authorities arrested a woman accused of spying on President Lai Ching-te’s family for China.

Taiwan’s Presidential Office confirmed that the President’s relatives were the targets, calling it “a classic case of transnational repression.” The office strongly condemned the alleged acts, saying they violate human rights and national sovereignty and are meant to intimidate those who stand for freedom and democracy.

The FBI arrested Wanying Zhang, a 34 year old real estate agent from Irvine, California, at LAX on Sunday. She is accused of conducting surveillance on the President’s son in Seattle and passing photos, video and vehicle details to Chinese officials.

FBI Director Kash Patel warned that America is not a playground for foreign adversaries.

The case is part of a wider US crackdown on alleged Chinese agents. The Justice Department says Beijing has worked to track and harass pro democracy activists in the US and to influence American politics. In May, the mayor of Arcadia, California, agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent for China and resigned.

China, which split from Taiwan after a civil war in 1949, claims the island as its territory and views President Lai as a separatist. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.

For Belize, the case involves one of its closest partners. Belize has recognized the Republic of China (Taiwan) since 1989 and remains one of only a handful of countries with formal diplomatic ties to Taipei.

Just last week, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung visited Belize, meeting Prime Minister John Briceño and signing agreements to establish the Taiwan Caribbean Academy at the University of Belize and to train Belizean diplomats.

Zhang has not yet entered a plea.

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