Washington: A U.S. congressional commission report released Thursday said China has been incorporating lawfare into its broader strategy toward Taiwan, citing its investigation of Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Puma Shen last year as a notable example.
According to Focus Taiwan, the report was released by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) and is titled "The PRC's Transnational Repression and Malign Influence in 2025." It documents how the Chinese Communist Party continues to export censorship and coercion beyond its borders. The CECC highlighted that lawfare, which involves using legal systems and tools to achieve political or strategic objectives, has become a common form of transnational repression, with China being one of its most prolific practitioners.
The report used Shen as a case study, noting that he was added to a Chinese sanctions list in 2024. Subsequently, authorities in Chongqing launched a criminal investigation against him, labeling him a "diehard Taiwan independence separatist." This was the first instance involving a Taiwanese lawmaker since Chinese judicial authorities issued guidelines detailing punishments for "obstinate Taiwan independence" advocates. The report indicated that this development signals an escalation by Chinese authorities from administrative sanctions to criminal prosecutions, as exemplified by Shen's case, and reinforces Beijing's stance that Taiwan is part of China.
Additionally, the report discussed the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a global network of legislators established in 2020 to coordinate democratic responses to the policies and actions of the Chinese government. According to the report, IPAC is one of the few international organizations in which Taiwan participates as a member, represented under the name "Republic of China (Taiwan)" rather than the "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" designation it uses in the World Trade Organization.
As an example of China's malign influence operations overseas, the report pointed to alleged efforts to undermine IPAC's 2025 summit in Brussels, where Taiwanese Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim delivered an address. Comments by IPAC Executive Director Luke de Pulford were cited, indicating that only two of 12 invited African delegates attended the event, and suggesting that Chinese interference may have played a role.
The CECC, established by Congress under the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000, continues to monitor human rights and the rule of law in China.