China Probes Taiwanese Legislator Puma Shen for Separatism in Cross-Strait Tensions

The Chinese government has initiated an investigation into Taiwanese legislator Puma Shen Pao-Yang for alleged separatist activities, marking the first known case under China's 2024 guidelines aimed at punishing Taiwan independence advocates. Shen, a Democratic Progressive Party member and co-founder of Kuma Academy, an organization that prepares civilians for a potential Chinese invasion through civil defense training, is accused by Chinese authorities of undermining national unity. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council condemned the probe as an illegal political persecution that violates sovereignty, emphasizing that China has no jurisdiction over Taiwan. Shen dismissed the investigation, calling it typical of the Chinese Communist Party's intimidation tactics and expressed confidence that Taiwanese people would not be afraid. The probe is part of broader Chinese efforts to intimidate Taiwanese leaders and citizens by applying domestic laws extraterritorially, with China previously sanctioning Shen and other prominent Taiwanese figures labeled as separatists. Human Rights Watch and Taiwanese officials called for the investigation to be dropped, highlighting the infringement on basic human rights and the threat to Taiwan's democratic institutions.