A Taiwanese writer, known by his pen name Fu Cha, has been detained in China on suspicion of "endangering state security". The writer, whose real name is Li Yanhe, was reportedly detained by police in Shanghai in March during a visit to his family. Li had founded Gusa Publishing, a publishing house in Taiwan that released books critical of the Chinese Communist Party and touching on sensitive political topics in China, such as the Tiananmen Square massacre.
The arrest of Li comes amid mounting concerns over his disappearance and at a time of strained relations between China and Taiwan. In recent years, several Taiwanese citizens have been detained in China on state security grounds. China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has refused to rule out the use of force to "unify" the island with mainland China. Taiwanese authorities have urged citizens to evaluate the risks before traveling to mainland China, following the formal arrest of a pro-independence political activist from Taiwan, Yang Chih-yuan, who has been detained in eastern Zhejiang province for over eight months on suspicion of "secession".