(Beijing – March 11, 2026) China’s highest judicial authority confirmed on Tuesday that Li Yanhe (李延賀), whose pen name is Fu Cha (富察), the editor-in-chief of Taiwan’s Gusa Publishing, has been sentenced to three years in prison for “inciting secession.” Fu Cha, who has been detained in China since 2023, was secretly sentenced in 2025. This ruling brought a legal conclusion to a case that has troubled the cross-strait cultural community for nearly three years, while sending a strong signal that Beijing will not tolerate publishing activities that cross its lines.
Fu Cha’s case has been a focal point of cross-strait attention since the spring of 2023. At that time, he disappeared while visiting relatives in Shanghai; subsequently, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office confirmed he had been subjected to criminal compulsory measures by national security agencies.
Prior to his disappearance, the Gusa Publishing house, operated by Fu Cha in Taipei, was well-known for publishing works that challenged the CCP’s historical narratives and explored geopolitics. While these books were favored by readers in Taiwan, Beijing clearly viewed the content as a threat to its national sovereignty and ideological security.
The judgment from the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court shows that, in addition to the three-year prison term, Fu Cha was sentenced to one year of deprivation of political rights and the confiscation of 50,000 RMB of personal property.
The details of this verdict were disclosed during the annual “Two Sessions,” carrying clear political implications. Zhang Jun (张军), President of the Supreme People’s Court, emphasized in the work report that judicial organs will resolutely defend national security and continue to deepen the struggle against “subversion and secession.”
“Judicial organs will severely punish ‘Taiwan independence’ die-hards in accordance with the law,” Zhang stated in the report, also mentioning plans to strengthen crackdowns on the smuggling of rare earths and other actions that damage the security of national strategic resources.
Meanwhile, Ying Yong (应勇), Prosecutor-General of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, also reiterated in his report that procuratorial organs will punish crimes of splitting the state and inciting secession in accordance with the law, aiming to safeguard the country’s “sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.”
For many observers, the verdict in the Fu Cha case is part of China’s “lawfare” against Taiwan. Analysts believe that as Beijing’s definition of “Taiwan independence” continues to expand, even academic exploration or publishing activities may fall within the scope of criminal crackdowns.
“This is a case of long-arm jurisdiction targeting freedom of thought and publishing,” noted an analyst who requested anonymity. “It sends a warning to everyone engaged in China studies and publishing overseas: even if you are not within their borders, your actions can still have legal consequences.”
With the verdict taking effect, Fucha will serve his sentence in mainland China. Although the Taiwanese government and several human rights organizations have repeatedly called for his release, Beijing’s judicial process was clearly not deterred by external pressure; instead, it used this case to demonstrate the firm stance of its legal system on national security issues.
Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent for ChinaAid
