A delegation will travel to China on Thursday for talks regarding 32 Taiwanese nationals held on fraud charges. The 32 suspects were arrested in Malaysia and were sent to China in April. The delegation is made up of justice ministry, cross-strait affairs and law enforcement officials.
Chen Ming-tang of the justice ministry said the delegation will discuss joint investigation, gathering of evidence and exchange of personnel with their Chinese counterparts. Meetings will be held in Zhuhai in the southern province of Guangdong.
Also on Tuesday, justice minister Luo Ying-shay was asked if the suspects would be repatriated to Taiwan. Luo said this was not clear as there are many considerations to take into account.
The issue of extraditing Taiwanese fraud suspects to China has caused renewed controversy in recent weeks. Beijing claims jurisdiction under international law as the targets of the suspects’ alleged phone scams are Chinese. Public opinion in Taiwan however has viewed the recent deportation of suspects from Kenya and Malaysia as an issue that touches on national sovereignty.