Hsiao condemns assault on journalist, vows to defend free speech

Taipei, July 7 (CNA) Taiwan will never tolerate the use of violence to stifle freedom of speech, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Tuesday after Taiwan-based author and journalist Akio Yaita was assaulted in Taichung on Monday by a Chinese man from Hong Kong.

"In Taiwan, we cherish freedom of speech. We hope that all views can be expressed in a safe and respectful environment. We will not tolerate violence," Hsiao said on the sidelines of the China in the World (CITW) 2026 conference in Taipei.

The assault on Yaita, who has been critical of the Chinese Communist Party, was a warning to Taiwan that it must redouble its efforts to safeguard freedom of speech, Hsiao said.

In her speech at the forum attended by academics and activists, Hsiao also expressed concern that the assault came at the same time as China's test-firing of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean and the self-immolation of exiled Tibetan Lobga Rangzen outside the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Those incidents underscore the importance of events such as CITW, Hsiao said. The conference, hosted by Doublethink Lab, is aimed at tracking China's global influence, identifying challenges associated with it and offering possible solutions.

Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) suggested, meanwhile, that the assault on Yaita was "characteristic" of transnational repression and that it was the first of its kind after China's Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law took effect on July 1.

The Presidential Office "strongly condemns" the act of violence, she said.

Also Tuesday, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), through spokesperson Lin Chu-yin (林楚茵) went slightly further than the Presidential Office, describing the act of violence against Yaita as the first case of China's "transnational repression" in Taiwan since the law took effect.

"The DPP condemns any act of violence, especially egregious behavior that threatens freedom of speech and personal safety," Lin said in a statement.

The law, passed by China's National People's Congress in March, requires all Chinese citizens to uphold national unification and aims to strengthen the identification of Taiwan's people as members of the Chinese nation.

It also states that individuals or organizations, whether inside or outside China, that undermine ethnic unity or promote ethnic division can be held legally liable, without clearly defining what kinds of groups or conduct fall under those categories.

As of Tuesday afternoon, all that was known about the assailant, who punched Yaita in the face, is that he was a 33-year-old Chinese man residing in Hong Kong. No evidence had been presented on his motives or how his actions were tied to China's unity law.