The international human rights organization Amnesty International held a global press conference in Taipei on the 15th titled “Feeling Fearful on My Campus: Chinese Communist Suppression of Overseas Students Strangles Human Rights.” The report exposed the actions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in suppressing mainland and Hong Kong students across borders.
Secretary-General of Amnesty International Taiwan, Chiu Yi-ling, stated that the organization released a new report on CCP’s cross-border repression earlier this week. Given the high level of attention and discussion on this issue in the international community, including Taiwan, they organized the global premiere press conference in Taipei. They were delighted to have Sarah Brooks, the Director of Amnesty International’s China team, participate online, along with Legislator Hong Shenhan and the Secretary-General of “Hong Kong Outlanders,” Feng Shaotian.
Brooks explained that the report interviewed 32 Chinese students studying at universities overseas, including 12 from Hong Kong. These students come from 8 countries, including Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. This report is the most comprehensive record to date on the CCP’s cross-border repression of overseas students from mainland China and Hong Kong. Due to CCP authorities attempting to prevent overseas students from engaging in “sensitive issues” or political topics, mainland and Hong Kong students abroad live in fear of intimidation, harassment, and surveillance.
Among the students interviewed by Amnesty International, nearly one-third said their families had been harassed by CCP officials to prevent them from criticizing the Chinese government or its policies abroad. The authorities’ tactics towards these families residing in China include canceling passports, firing employees, hindering promotions, canceling retirement benefits, and even restricting their freedom. In at least three cases, CCP police pressured or instructed the families of these students in China to cut off financial aid to their children to silence the students.
Among the students interviewed by Amnesty International, over half said they frequently engage in self-censorship on online platforms (including X, Facebook, and Instagram, non-Chinese social media platforms) because they fear the CCP government may be monitoring their activities. Brooks hoped that the discussions on that day could influence the Taiwanese government’s discourse on this issue and further implement the recommendations of the report.
Chiu Yi-ling said, “We also thank the representatives of foreign missions in Taiwan who attended, including Madalyn Erickson and Samuel Huang from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Tu Yuan from the European Economic and Trade Office, and representatives from international non-governmental organizations focusing on this issue: Kevin Slaten from Freedom House, Jody Chen from Human Rights Watch, Sandrine Fontaine, Shataakshi Verma from Reporters Without Borders, and partners from civil society.”
Chiu Yi-ling stated that the report released by Amnesty International summarized the intensive interviews and research findings of the organization’s China team over the past few months. This report particularly emphasized how the CCP and Hong Kong government employ various means to prevent mainland and Hong Kong students living abroad from criticizing their own governments freely in academic settings. Faced with such complex issues, the report also urged the CCP and Hong Kong government to cease their cross-border repression and for governments and schools worldwide to take human rights issues seriously and take actions to protect the freedom of these students.
Legislator Hong Shenhan commented, “In recent years, friends who have left China to settle elsewhere often mention to us that the CCP’s monitoring or cross-border repression is ongoing, just to varying degrees. Some have experienced significant incidents, while others have faced smaller ones, and some are quite lonely.” He mentioned that it was known that former Vice President-elect Hsiao Mei-chin encountered surveillance by CCP diplomats during her trip to the Czech Republic, almost resulting in a car accident. “From various incidents, you will understand that the CCP’s reach overseas is actually quite extensive.”
Feng Shaotian stated that CCP’s cross-border repression is not isolated incidents but systematically ongoing. While people are relatively safe overseas, he was also followed during a demonstration in Taiwan. In the UK, individuals who went to the Hong Kong consulate or CCP consulate to protest were directly dragged inside and beaten. He hopes that governments worldwide can understand the repressive actions initiated by the CCP in various countries and enable mainland Chinese and Hong Kong people overseas to express their voices more freely.
Chiu Yi-ling mentioned that according to data from the Mainland Affairs Council, although the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sharp decline in the number of mainland Chinese students studying in Taiwan, the number of mainland Chinese students studying in Taiwan before the pandemic remained between 30,000 to 40,000 per year. After the pandemic, the number of mainland Chinese students in Taiwan has gradually increased, with currently 4,651 mainland Chinese students studying in Taiwan. The number of Hong Kong students has remained around 7,000 before and after the pandemic, with currently 7,854 Hong Kong students studying in Taiwan, surpassing the number of Hong Kong students in many European countries.
Chiu Yi-ling said, “This also indicates that the Taiwanese government and universities should take measures to address this issue, and we hope that through discussions among Sarah and governmental, parliamentary, and civil society representatives who are concerned about this issue, Taiwan can initiate dialogue on cross-border repression and human rights protection.”