Committee passes DPP motion condemning China's Puma Shen probe

Taipei, Nov. 19 (CNA) The Legislature's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Wednesday passed a Democratic Progressive Party-initiated (DPP) motion condemning a Chinese criminal probe into DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋).

The motion called on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to "exercise self-restraint" after Shen was listed as "wanted" by the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau for "criminal activities of secession" in Taiwan.

"Even though people in Taiwan may have different ideologies, the personal safety and freedom of speech of Taiwanese people are protected by the Constitution of the Republic of China," the motion said.

The motion added that the CCP "has no jurisdiction" over the people of Taiwan.

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The motion, initiated by DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) and endorsed by four other DPP lawmakers, passed without objection.

According to a report published last month by China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, Shen is being investigated over a number of "criminal activities" in Taiwan, including launching the civil defense organization Kuma Academy.

The probe is being carried out under China's Criminal Law and the judicial guidelines introduced in 2024 on penalizing "Taiwan independence separatists," the report said.

On Nov. 9, a Chinese legal expert told China's state-run CCTV that Shen should be pursued through the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and other mutual judicial assistance channels with foreign countries.

The DPP drafted a similar motion, which has yet to be passed, condemning China over the probe during a Legislative Yuan plenary session on Nov. 14.