Taipei District Court Judge Hsu Kai-chieh (許凱傑) called on the United States and Taiwan to create a joint task force to address transnational repression. This comes as both countries decide how to address the possible ramifications of China’s new Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, and over a week after the first potential case of cross-border repression. 

Hsu, a judge specializing in national security, espionage, and infiltration, is currently traveling in the U.S. to exchange ideas on how to address threats posed by the new law.

On July 6, the head of the Indo-Pacific Strategy Thinktank Akio Yaita was assaulted after giving a speech by a man who tried to leave the country immediately after. Taiwan’s government is taking the incident seriously, with the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and Foreign Ministry viewing this as the first incident of “transnational repression” after China passed a new ethnic unity law. 
Speaking to CNA in Washington, D.C., Hsu called on Taiwan and the United States to create a joint task force to deal with cases of cross–border repression, and share experiences and response strategies.

He also suggested the Taiwanese government create a reporting platform to allow citizens to report incidents in real-time. While he acknowledged it would need a verification mechanism, a real-time reporting platform would allow for swifter government response and act as a stronger deterrent for bad actors.

Hsu also said that interdepartmental collaboration between the police and border control agencies will be critical to preserve evidence and identify cases.

The judge said he believes Taiwan’s legal tools need to evolve to address new types of crime. In the case of China’s ethnic unity law, he said that Taiwan’s Anti-Infiltration Law by itself isn’t enough, but should be combined with the Criminal Code to impose heavier punishment. 

The MAC announced on July 9 that the government has been drafting amendments related to transnational repression, and will work with the Justice Ministry regarding the possibility of increasing criminal liability and the cost of crime.