Taiwan reports 449 citizens detained or missing in China
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.