Imagine working in a foreign country across the world, then getting arbitrarily deported — but not back to your home.
That’s what Taiwan said happened to 45 of its citizens when Kenya forced them onto a plane to mainland China, for no clear reason.
The Taiwanese citizens walked down from a plane in mainland China, their heads covered in opaque black hoods. Each wore a green vest and was flanked by two authorities.
Taiwan calls it the whole ordeal a “gross violation” of human rights. But China praised Kenya, thanking it for supporting the “one China” policy.
It’s just the latest twist in a complicated relationship that has turned international.
So how did we get here?
It all started when Kenyan authorities accused a group of Taiwanese workers — along with some Chinese workers — of running a complex phone and Internet scamming organization.
The Taiwanese citizens were later acquitted. But when they went to a Nairobi police station last week to pick up their passports, “they were detained by the police for no reason,” Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
How did Kenya force the Taiwanese to China?
A grainy cellphone video allegedly shot inside a Kenyan jail shows a desperate scene.
Prisoners press their hands and bodies against their cell door, trying to prevent authorities from getting in. A woman’s voice warns them to be careful of the armed police outside.
“Sir! We are Taiwan people, Taiwan people!” one man shouts.
Eventually, police used tear gas to force them out of their cell and onto a plane to China, Taiwanese Foreign Ministry official Antonio Chen said.
But Kenyan Interior Ministry spokesman Mwenda Njoka denied that claim.
“It’s not true. Why would police tear gas their own station?” Njoka told CNN.
Why did Kenya arrest the Taiwanese after acquittal?
Njoka said Kenyan authorities were following proper protocol.
“We followed international law and released them back to the court in which they came from,” he said. “We don’t have a relationship with Taiwan as a country, but we have a relationship with China.”
The Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua said that in the past, some Taiwanese telecom scammers have not been adequately punished
“Quite a few Taiwan suspects were released as soon as they were returned to Taiwan, and some resumed their wrongdoing soon after,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman An Fengshan said, according to Xinhua.
“They have caused a tremendous loss to people on the Chinese mainland … triggering strong discontent,” An said.
Could these prisoners be tried again?
Yes. An suggested the Taiwanese prisoners would face further prosecution in China, despite being acquitted in Kenya. And in a country that maintains a “one China” policy, An also defended China’s right to charge the alleged fraudsters.
“As these criminals carried out their illegal activities abroad, and all the victims are residents of the mainland, the mainland naturally has legal jurisdiction,” An said.
But John Chen, a Taiwanese representative tasked with handling the case in Kenya, said that prosecuting the detainees again would be ridiculous.
“For those who have been acquitted by the Kenyan court, they shouldn’t be trialed again, because that would be kind of like double jeopardy,” he said.
“And for those who are still under investigation in China, they shouldn’t be deported to China. If they are to be deported, they should be deported to Taiwan, where they are from, instead of China.”
What is the ‘one China’ policy?
The “one China” policy allows both governments to claim sovereignty over mainland China and Taiwan. But, crucially, neither recognizes the other’s legitimacy.
China’s state media are required to put quotation marks around all Taiwan government agencies and official titles, while Taiwan media often refer to the mainland authority as the “Chinese Communist regime.”
Most countries, including the United States, recognize only the People’s Republic of China and maintain only limited diplomatic relations with Taiwan — or none at all.
Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Lu Kang praised what he called Kenya’s observance of the “one China” policy.
“The one China policy is an important precondition for bilateral relations with China and other countries,” he said. “We commend Kenya for implementing this policy.”
Why are tensions so high now?
Taiwan and China haven’t had the coziest relationship. But their relations have been strained in recent months after the landslide win of Tsai Ing-wen as Taiwan’s next president.
Tsai is the leader of the Democratic Progressive Party, which has traditionally favored formal independence for the island from mainland China.
But Beijing, of course, views Taiwan as an integral part of its territory.
What’s the U.S. connection?
According to Antonio Chen, the Taiwanese foreign affairs official, one of the prisoners deported to China is a dual Taiwanese-U.S. citizen.
While the United States recognizes the “one China” policy, it also sells advanced weapons to Taiwan to defend itself against the larger Chinese military.
What’s next?
“I am not 100% sure about their destiny,” said John Chen, the Taiwanese representative in Kenya.
“This is becoming a burning issue in Taiwan. I believe every citizen of Taiwan knows of this case. This case of this kind serves as a deterrence for potential Taiwanese visitors or tourists who want to visit Kenya because they would risk being arrested or detained without the legal process.”