The former "CCTV" host "jumped off the plane" to seek asylum, and the Mainland Affairs Council became tough and "return him in accordance with the law"

Cheng Wanjun, the former host of the Chinese Communist Party's official media "CCTV", "jumped off the plane" and sought asylum from the Taiwan government, hoping to help him travel to a third country. The Mainland Affairs Council emphasized today that Mr. Cheng Wanjun jumped off the plane at Taoyuan Airport and asked the Taiwan government to temporarily keep him. Because he did not comply with our regulations and handling mechanism, the competent authorities have sent him back to Bangkok, Thailand, his previous departure point in accordance with the law.

Cheng Wanjun arrived at Taoyuan International Airport on a flight from Thailand on November 2. He recorded a video and publicly appealed for help online, hoping that the government of the Republic of China would provide short-term humanitarian protection. He said in the video that he was originally the editor-in-chief of "Law and Life" magazine and the host of the "CCTV" Legal Lecture Program, and he publicly asked for help at Taoyuan Airport. In 2019, he was secretly recorded and reported for commenting on political remarks such as "the king who subjugated the country" at a regular meeting of his work unit. After a thorough investigation was ordered by senior officials of the CCP, his unit was purged.

Cheng Wanjun claimed that he was arrested at Beijing Airport in November 2019 and sentenced to six years in prison for "illegal business operations." After he was released from prison in 2025, he was forced to go into exile overseas in order to publish his works in prison. His autobiography, "The Everlasting Soul of Freedom: Confessions of a Chinese Political Prisoner," was published in the overseas Chinese online media "Yipao" on November 1 this year.

He also said in the video that in order to avoid a second political persecution by the "Chinese Communist authorities", he had to move to Taiwan to seek short-term humanitarian protection, hoping to help him complete resettlement in a third country "so that I can continue to create and speak freely for the rest of my life."

In this regard, the Mainland Affairs Council stated that regarding Mr. Cheng Wanjun’s claim that he was persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party and sought to stay in Taiwan temporarily to travel to European and American countries, because many similar cases occur every year, the government must have a screening mechanism based on its duties, and it is impossible to deal with every case with temporary detention.

The Mainland Affairs Council pointed out that the main key to this case was that the government was unable to verify Mr. Cheng’s claims of persecution. So far, apart from the parties’ own statements, the government has been unable to find any other third-party evidence to support it.

The Mainland Affairs Council mentioned that Mr. Cheng can enter and leave mainland China freely and his personal freedom is not restricted. The government has a certain basis for discretion in handling similar cases. At present, it can only send Mr. Cheng Wanjun back to Thailand according to the existing mechanism.

Mr. Cheng’s accusations regarding the execution process were officially explained by the Immigration Administration, the competent authority. The Mainland Affairs Council emphasized that the Chinese government has always supported Chinese dissidents as much as possible, but also hopes that all walks of life will respect our country’s laws and border management systems.