The revelations of Lee Ming-che, who has returned free after five years of forced labor: the police of Xi Jinping spied on my conversations on WeChat, in my cell they forbade me to read Primo Levi. Enthusiastic about Meloni’s words about Ukraine, the video of him in Taipei went viral
From our correspondent
TAIPEI (Taiwan) Lee Ming-che, 47, is one of the symbols of Taiwan’s struggle for freedom: political activist, former member of the Democratic Progressive Party (the «DPP», the same as President Tsai Ing-wen), just a few months ago he finished serving five years of harsh prison in China, where he was captured in 2017 and then convicted of “inciting the subversion of state power”. A sensational case of him, who had raised international campaigns for his liberation and further exacerbated relations between Taiwan and the People’s Republic. Ming-che is free today, lives in his Taipei and is among the few who can personally testify not only how pervasive the Chinese control apparatus is; but also how the detention system reserved by the Communist Party for political dissidents works from within. It is here that the Corriere met him. Sandals on his feet, black jacket, Ming-who first shows us on his smartphone the video of the speech in the Chamber of Giorgia Meloni, the one in which the prime minister vigorously defends the decision to supply arms to Ukraine. It is subtitled in Chinese. «Here it went viral (as it also happened in Kyiv, ndr
) – tell us -. I do not share what your prime minister thinks of gays, but her words have thrilled us. We feel connected to the fate of Ukraine: Russia and China have a common agreement against the free world”.
Why was she captured?
“I helped political prisoners with money donations. They arrested me one day when I entered China for a personal journey: I was blindfolded, placed in the car and taken to an unknown place».
Did you get any idea how they spied on you?
“Chinese authorities had accessed my computer through the WeChat messaging system. They had my conversations. I learned about it during the trial.”
WeChat is a Chinese program, like TikTok. Are some Western institutions right to ban its use?
“I have no evidence that TikTok was designed to spy on foreigners, but Chinese law requires all social media to be forced to provide information for national security reasons.”
Let’s go back to the trial: they extracted a confession from her.
“Before being sentenced to forced labour, they kept me under home surveillance in an undisclosed location for two months, without being able to speak to anyone. It’s a way to destroy yourself mentally. The trial was public, an unprecedented case. For political criminals in China, that never happens. It was because I’m Taiwanese and because my wife launched a big mobilization.”
Listen to “The world seen from Taiwan (with an eye on Ukraine). And vice versa” on Spreaker.
What was the treatment?
“They put me in a 20 square meter cell with sixteen people, mixed with common criminals. Thirteen hours a day of forced labor and only two interviews with the family in 5 years, always supervised. The agents were courteous, they pitied me. They thought: how can he believe he is challenging China?».
What jobs did he do?
«Manufacture of gloves or shoes. Which are then shipped to Canada or the USA. The American company places the order with the Chinese factory and the latter forwards it to the prisons. I don’t know how much the United States knows. But there was a political prisoner who was in prison with me: now he is suing an American company ».
For political prisoners, in addition to jobs, what is expected?
“They call it education in ideology and politics. At first it was thirty minutes a day, then it became two hours. Most of it is about Mao’s thought and ideology. Then we talk about how the West is exploiting China and criticize it a lot. Even if there is an exception and it concerns Italy».
That is to say?
«Political prisoners are expressly told that your country is the one that should be criticized the least, because it has signed up to the Belt and Road Initiative, i.e. the trade agreements for the New Silk Road (signed by the yellow-green government in 2019 and strongly criticized by Americans, ndr
). They talk about it as a success. They say that China thus helps the weaker countries which, because of democracy, have to face chaos and poverty”.
Did you read in prison?
“What they let me. I read Animal Farm and 1984, before they banned them, in 2022. I inspected the books. I have a long list of censored texts.’
Which?
«Deridda, Camus, Amery. And all Primo Levi. I have here the list of those who didn’t let me pass».
And at this point Lee Ming-who checks the email and forwards us the official document with the list of censored books: there are 9 books by Levi, including “The Truce” and “Drowned and Saved”)
The then speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, during her disputed visit to Taipei last August, wanted to meet her. What did she tell her?
“That the world must help Taiwan expose China’s lies. They argue that democracy doesn’t suit the Chinese, but that’s not true. Taiwan is the example of this».
April 6, 2023 (change April 6, 2023 | 07:35)
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