Taiwan charges five men over plot to attack comedian for mocking Xi

Prosecutors in New Taipei have charged five men over a plot to ram a car into stand-up comedian Huang Yi-hao, The Guardian, NST Online, and inkl reported. The plot was orchestrated after the comedian mocked the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese President Xi Jinping. A person known only as K from China reportedly paid the five defendants to injure the performer severely enough to require hospitalisation. [1][2][3]

During one performance, Huang insulted the appearance of the Chinese leader, compared him to Winnie-the-Pooh, and criticized his political record, according to The Guardian. Taiwanese authorities have repeatedly accused China of using transnational repression to silence critics on the island. [1]

Xi Jinping has served as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party since 2012 and president of China since 2013. Beijing claims sovereignty over self-governed Taiwan and has promised to bring the island under its control by force if necessary. [1][4][7]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, Chinese intelligence operations have drawn international scrutiny, including a recent case in the United States where a real estate agent was charged with surveilling the family of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. [9]