TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A Taiwanese-run Mandarin school in Paris, France, has reportedly become the target of an overseas Chinese police station, likely due to its close ties to the Taiwan government.
L’Encrier Chinoise (書硯藝術文化學校), a school funded by the Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning, has been an institute active in the community of the 13th arrondissement of Paris for more than 17 years. It offers a way for Hong Kong expats and those who have renounced their People’s Republic of China citizenship to continue their Mandarin education, according to a report by Intelligence Online.
Lin Shu-lin (林淑琳), the director of L’Encrier Chinoise, said that when she was told she might be a target of the Chinese Communist Party, she was surprised but her suspicions over the past few months have been confirmed, CNA quoted it as said. Since the school partnered with the Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning late last year, its Facebook page and website have been hacked three times, in February, June and September 2022, by CNA.
The school had to seek help from the Taipei representative office in France to solve the problem, Lin said. Despite this, the director said she will continue to teach traditional characters and promote Taiwanese cultural heritage in France.
The overseas police station in question is believed to be affiliated with the Fuzhou Public Security Bureau, as these secret stations follow the guidelines of local Chinese public security authorities, according to Spanish NGO Safeguard Defenders.
In addition, Our Lady of China Church, a Catholic church founded in 2005, has also reportedly been targeted by Chinese police overseas due to its close ties to the Catholic Church in Taiwan and its activities. in Taiwan and Hong Kong, Intelligence Online said.
