On this episode of China Uncensored:
Taiwan, China...
what's the difference?
Hi, welcome to China Uncensored.
I'm your host, Chris Chappell.
I’ve never been to Kenya,
and I certainly haven’t been arrested there.
But I hear their jails are great!
Or at least, I presume they must be.
That would explain why these 15 Taiwanese citizens
in Nairobi, Kenya attempted to barricade themselves in a jail cell.
Unfortunately, their delightful detainment wasn’t to last.
A few moments later,
Kenyan police busted the door down,
grabbed them, and put them on an airplane.
And deported them to China.
This China, not this China.
Even though they’re from this China.
And if you’re not familiar with the “One China” policy
that says that both of these regions are China, watch this video.
And if you are familiar with the “One China” policy,
you know why this awkward
sending-Taiwanese-citizens-to-mainland-China thing
is such a big deal.
Here’s what happened:
These 15 people are part of a group of 45 Taiwan citizens
who faced charges in Kenya for telecom fraud.
They had been accused of defrauding people in mainland China
of more than $93 million dollars in a series of scams.
I can only assume they pretended to be African princes
seeking to "transfer funds" to unsuspecting victims.
Anyway, I'm not saying they didn't commit fraud.
But they were acquitted by the Kenyan court.
That is, not guilty.
Yet the government of mainland China insisted
that Kenya send these Taiwanese to mainland China for “investigation.”
As Kenya's Interior Ministry spokesperson put it,
"They came from China and we took them to China.”
Now it’s not that Kenyan officials are too dumb to realize
that being from China and being from Taiwan are not the same thing.
They just want to respect the "One China” policy,
where Kenya only recognizes the CCP, and not the Taiwan government,
as the legitimate rulers of all China.
As a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson put it,
"Countries which follow the 'One China' principle are worthy of approval."
But while Kenya may get a gold star from the CCP,
they're actually violating their own policy.
Because the Kenyan court issued an order to not deport these people.
So why would they do it? Could it possibly have to do with...
money?
Now I'm not saying these Taiwanese citizens didn't commit fraud.
You may be innocent unless proven guilty in America.
And in Kenya.
And in Taiwan.
But in mainland China, you're only innocent
until you're forced to confess on state-run television.
Because that’s actually what happened.
And if this case is any indication,
now it could potentially happen to any Taiwanese citizen
accused of a crime overseas—
even if they’re found not guilty.
So what do you think?
Leave your comments—or confessions—below.
And please support this show on Patreon.
Once again, I'm Chris Chappell. See you next time.
OK, so what do you need?
Suits. Lots of suits.
Wait...
Who is this?
Mania.
Official clothing sponsor of China Uncensored.
www.maniasuit.com