Ex-CCTV host seeking asylum deported

Chinese national Cheng Wanjun (程萬軍), who was at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport after arriving on a connecting flight from Thailand on Monday and sought asylum in Taiwan, was deported to Thailand early yesterday, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said.

In a video circulating on X, Cheng identified himself as a former host at China Central Television (CCTV) and said he was seeking temporary humanitarian protection in Taiwan.

Cheng said he was sentenced to six years in prison after he was recorded and reported to authorities in 2019 for criticizing “a ruler who loses his country.”

Former China Central Television host Cheng Wanjun speaks in a video he posted online after arriving at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Monday.

Photo: Screen grab from X

After his release, he was forced to go into exile abroad to publish articles he had written while in prison, he said.

Cheng also claimed that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees office in Thailand had classified his case as being at the highest risk level, but could not guarantee his safety there, which is why he traveled to Taiwan to avoid further persecution by the Chinese authorities.

Cheng arrived in Taipei on Monday on a connecting flight to Beijing, but did not board his connecting flight, sources said.

Instead, he posted the video online appealing for assistance.

The NIA subsequently arranged for him to stay in a designated area, where he was provided meals and a place to rest, but was not allowed to move about freely, the sources said.

The NIA said in a statement that after consulting the Mainland Affairs Council and other agencies, it had determined that Cheng was not eligible for asylum in Taiwan because he lacked valid entry documents and had not provided concrete evidence to substantiate his claims.

He was therefore deported to Thailand under the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法), the agency said.

However, Cheng sustained injuries when he resisted boarding the aircraft, prompting authorities to take measures to ensure flight safety in accordance with the law, the NIA added.

The Mainland Affairs Council said the government returned Chen to Thailand because it could not independently verify his claims of persecution by Chinese authorities.

Cheng had sought permission to remain temporarily in Taiwan while arranging travel to Europe or the US, it said.

However, the government receives multiple similar cases each year and must maintain a screening mechanism to assess such requests, rather than automatically granting temporary stays to every applicant, it added.

The key issue in Cheng’s case was the lack of independent evidence supporting his allegations of persecution, the council said.

Apart from Cheng’s own statements, authorities had found no third-party evidence to corroborate his claims, it said.

Cheng remained free to travel to and from China and had not been subjected to restrictions on his personal freedom, it added.

The government handles such cases based on established criteria and procedures, leaving authorities with no option but to return Cheng to Thailand under the existing mechanism, it said.

Taiwan generally seeks to provide assistance to Chinese nationals who express dissenting views, but called on the public to respect Taiwan’s laws and border control procedures, the council said.