00:00In May, three Taiwanese people who traveled to China were detained in Guangzhou and Fujian.
00:05According to Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, which governs relations with Beijing,
00:10China did not notify Taipei about the detentions nor was a reason given for them.
00:16But Taipei suspects the three people's religion had something to do with it.
00:41Yiguandao is a religious sect that originated in China but spread to Taiwan, where it gained popularity.
00:47According to Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation,
00:5019 Taiwanese people have been persecuted in China for religious reasons since 2019.
00:55And Taiwan's lawmakers are calling on China to respect people's faith.
01:13One scholar says that in China's eyes,
01:16religion can pose a threat to the ruling Chinese Communist Party's authority.
01:20That's why worshippers can be targeted while traveling there.
01:23For now, Taipei is urging people to exercise caution and to think twice when making plans to go to China.
01:30Patrick Sun and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.
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