China Accused of New Transnational Repression in Taiwan
Taiwan investigates a coordinated impersonation campaign targeting documentary distributors and civil organisations, suspected to be Chinese repression.
Taiwan has raised serious alarms regarding a sophisticated and coordinated campaign of intimidation, accusing China of potentially deploying a new form of transnational repression. The allegations surfaced after unidentified individuals allegedly impersonated a prominent Taiwanese documentary distributor to issue threats against various organizations and individuals.
The Impersonation Campaign
According to reports from Focus Taiwan, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has identified a pattern where perpetrators posed as Kuan Chien-chung, the head of Lion Movies Culture Co. Kuan is well-known for distributing the documentary State Organs in Taiwan earlier this year.
MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh noted that these incidents appeared to transcend simple impersonation. He highlighted the repeated and coordinated nature of the actions, leading authorities to provisionally treat the matter as a potential case of Chinese transnational repression. While investigations are ongoing, the exact identities of those behind the scheme have not yet been confirmed.
A Timeline of Threats
The investigation has uncovered a series of targeted incidents that suggest a systematic attempt to harass specific groups:
- November 2024: An individual allegedly used Kuan’s phone number to contact a lawyer, issuing threats and demanding money. This incident led to police questioning Kuan directly.
- December 2024: A similar episode reportedly targeted the Kuma Academy, a civil defence organization based in Taiwan.
- September 29, 2025: The most recent incident involved the use of Kuan’s identity and phone number to threaten the Taiwan Falun Dafa Association.
Kuan reported this latest attempt to the police with the assistance of the MAC.
Context of the Documentary Controversy
The current investigation follows a period of intense tension surrounding the film State Organs. The Canadian documentary examines serious allegations regarding forced organ harvesting in China involving Falun Gong practitioners.
The film has been a lightning rod for controversy in Taiwan. In late 2024, cinemas and various organizations involved in the screenings of the documentary were hit with dozens of threats, including bomb threats. The Taiwan Criminal Investigation Bureau previously traced threatening emails to overseas IP addresses, noting that the perpetrators utilized VPNs to mask their locations.
Ongoing Investigation
The MAC has confirmed it is working closely with Taiwan’s National Police Agency and the Ministry of Justice to unravel the source of these threats and determine if they are indeed linked to state-sponsored activities from mainland China.