Taiwan has sharply condemned China for what it described as blatant transnational repression after Chinese state-linked media and social media accounts circulated private details of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Puma Shen, including satellite images identifying his home and workplace in Taipei. The incident has raised serious concerns about China’s growing use of digital tools to intimidate critics beyond its borders, as reported by The Taipei Times.According to The Taipei Times, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Chinese state-controlled outlets had engaged in “digital authoritarianism” by promoting doxxing as a means of psychological pressure.
The ministry stated that exposing personal information was a deliberate attempt to instil fear and undermine Taiwan’s democratic society. The controversy centres on Strait Plus, a media platform affiliated with a Chinese state-run organisation, which cited a Chinese influencer claiming to have purchased commercial satellite imagery of Taipei and marked Shen’s residence and workplace. MOFA said the act amounted to a serious invasion of privacy and crossed all ethical boundaries, describing it as behaviour unworthy of a civilised societyTaiwanese officials also pointed out that China’s Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau had previously labelled Shen as “wanted” over alleged “secession-related” activities, accusations Taipei has dismissed as politically motivated and legally baseless.
MOFA stated that such actions violate Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which protects individuals from arbitrary interference with privacy and personal safety.Reiterating Taiwan’s sovereignty, the ministry said the Republic of China (ROC) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are not subordinate to each other, emphasising that Beijing has no jurisdiction over Taiwanese citizens. It added that Taiwan is working with like-minded countries to jointly condemn China’s expanding use of transnational repression.
The Mainland Affairs Council echoed the criticism, calling the incident evidence of the Chinese Communist Party’s disregard for human rights and the rule of law. It announced a review of cross-strait exchanges in response to escalating coercion, as highlighted by The Taipei Times.National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu urged Meta Platforms Inc. to remove the offending content, calling it intolerable repression. Taiwan’s digital and law enforcement agencies have since strengthened security for Shen and warned against collaboration with hostile foreign forces. Shen later said the move reflected frustration that military drills and intimidation tactics had failed to shake Taiwanese society, highlighting that such psychological warfare would not succeed in Taiwan, as reported by The Taipei Times.