Beijing reportedly pressures families of Taiwanese separatists ahead of local elections

According to a joint report by the Institute for the Study of War and the American Enterprise Institute, the People’s Republic of China is intensifying pressure on family members of Taiwanese politicians it labels as “diehard separatists.” The sanctions announced by the Taiwan Affairs Office prohibit VWAY, a firm owned by Shen Tu-cheng, from conducting business with Chinese entities, directly affecting Puma Shen’s campaign.

The paper lists additional cases, such as the brother of United Microelectronics founder Robert Tsao being denied entry to China and the nephew of Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang losing his job there. It also cites a California arrest of a woman accused of spying on President William Lai’s son for Beijing. The analysis suggests these moves aim to deter support for DPP candidates ahead of the nine-in-one local elections on Nov. 28, while also noting related weather warnings for Typhoon Champi and Taiwan’s plans to acquire V-BAT surveillance drones from Shield AI.