Taiwan says nine more of its citizens went missing or were detained in China in a single week, a bad sign for anyone traveling across the strait.

• Taiwan's China policy body now counts 440 people missing, questioned, or believed held since the start of 2024.
• Most of that total is people believed to be locked up by Chinese authorities; the rest are simply out of contact.
• The count rose by nine in one week, so the problem is getting worse, not fading.
• Prosecutors in Taoyuan separately charged seven people in a trafficking ring that lured Taiwanese with fake job offers and shipped them to China for their organs, with payouts of up to NT$9 million per victim.
• Taiwan is asking the court for heavy prison terms for the ring's members.

Outlook: Expect Taipei to keep issuing travel warnings as the weekly tally climbs.