Taiwan reports 449 citizens detained or missing in China

Sep 28, 2026

Taiwan is warning its citizens that travel to China has become risky, with hundreds now missing, questioned, or locked up — bad news for anyone with family or business ties across the strait.

  • Taiwan's China policy body counts 449 cases of citizens going missing, being held for questioning, or having their freedom restricted in China, Hong Kong, or Macau.
  • The largest group is 242 people jailed on various charges, plus 168 who vanished while visiting family or friends and 39 held for questioning.
  • Beijing brought in new exit-and-entry rules in mid-September, and the risk to travelers has been climbing since.
  • Taiwan's advice is blunt: think hard about whether the trip is necessary at all, and prepare before going.
  • After the second Trump–Xi meeting, Beijing pushed the line that Taiwan independence threatens regional peace, but Washington's policy on Taiwan has not changed.

Outlook: Taipei will keep urging caution and holding to the status quo, while detention numbers are likely to keep rising under China's new travel rules.

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