Taiwan's government says more of its citizens are vanishing or being detained in China, and a newly charged trafficking ring allegedly lured people there to have their organs taken — grim news for anyone traveling across the strait.

• Taipei's China policy body says 440 Taiwanese have gone missing, been held for questioning, or had their freedom restricted in China since the start of 2024, up 9 in one week.
• Most of that total — 241 people — are believed to be held by Chinese authorities, with 163 simply unaccounted for.
• Prosecutors in Taoyuan charged seven members of a trafficking ring accused of using fake job offers to send Taiwanese to China to be killed for their organs.
• The ring allegedly earned up to NT$9 million per victim; prosecutors are asking for seven-year sentences.
• Officials say they cannot yet confirm whether the missing-persons cases are linked to the organ trade.

Outlook: Expect louder travel warnings from Taipei and more pressure on Beijing as the weekly missing count keeps climbing.