Jointly combating new forms of transnational crime

Reports by Taiwan’s police authorities to Interpol were to no avail. Instead, Taiwan had to rely on police forces in friendly countries to pass on intelligence and cooperate in investigations. Taiwan also mobilized a national cross-government antifraud team to carry out preventative, deterrence, rescue and investigative operations and stop any more Taiwanese people from being coerced into fraudulent activities. As of July 2023, 478 victims had been successfully rescued.

Information shared by Taiwan has aroused international attention, and friendly police forces in Europe, the United States, Southeast Asia and elsewhere are now aware of this new type of crime, whose victims have hailed from a wide range of nations. Only by combining international resources and conducting cooperative investigations can laws be enforced and this global security issue be addressed.

With global security of vital importance, support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in Interpol remains essential.

When China applied for accession to Interpol in 1984, it attached conditions that contravened the spirit of the Interpol Constitution. China took over Taiwan’s membership rights and status and constantly cited so-called “political issues” to ensure that Interpol excluded Taiwan from substantive participation in the organization, creating a breach in crime prevention and intelligence sharing. This has also made Taiwan’s efforts to fight transnational crime and make the world a better place all the more difficult.

We are unwilling to accept Voltaire’s assertion that “history is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortunes.” I ask everyone to support Taiwan’s participation in Interpol’s annual General Assembly as an observer. This would allow Taiwan’s police authorities to participate in various activities, meetings and training, interact with other countries and address the deficiency in transnational crime intelligence exchange.

This is not a political issue. Global security concerns us all. Let Taiwan and Interpol work together.

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Chou Yew-woei is Commissioner of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of Taiwan.