Taiwan Raises China Travel Alert as Detentions Surge

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has raised the travel advisory for China to orange, urging Taiwanese citizens to avoid non-essential travel. The agency reported ten Taiwanese citizens went missing in China during the second week of July 2026, including one group of four who completely lost contact. In a separate incident, three Chinese public security officers questioned a Taiwanese local court judge at a hotel in northern China regarding his profession and political views.

Data from the MAC shows a rapid increase in detentions and disappearances. Reports rose from 55 in 2024 to 221 in 2025, with 109 cases already reported in 2026. Since January 2024, the government has received 385 total reports, including 30 individuals who were detained for questioning, 14 of whom are public servants.

Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh and the Democratic Progressive Party warned that civil servants, military personnel, journalists, and technology professionals are at high risk. The government cautioned that routine activities, such as photography or interviews, could be interpreted as national security threats. The Democratic Progressive Party alleged that the Chinese Communist Party uses national security and anti-espionage laws to conduct ideological scrutiny and surveillance.