On December 24, 2025, the Weihai Municipal Public Security Bureau in East China’s Shandong Province issued a wanted notice stating that in June 2025, during an investigation into a suspect surnamed Liu and six other mainland crew members of the “Hongtai 58,” police uncovered a smuggling syndicate led by Taiwan residents Jian Wensheng and Chen Shunjin. Photo: Screenshot of a notice from the bureau

Following investigations by public security authorities, Taiwan residents Jian Wensheng and Chen Shunjin were identified as repeat smuggling offenders who controlled vessels including the “Hongtai 58” to carry out long-term smuggling of frozen goods into the mainland. Public security authorities have now issued wanted notices for the two individuals, hoping that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits will actively provide clues related to illegal and criminal activities, Peng Qing’en, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said on Wednesday. 

Relevant authorities will strictly protect informants’ personal information and lawful rights in accordance with the law, Peng said. 

Peng made those comments during a press conference in response to a question about the case and the DPP authorities claiming in February that the damage to cross-Straits undersea cables caused by the “Hongtai 58” was an act of “deliberate sabotage” by the mainland and constituted a “gray-zone harassment.” 

The“Hongtai 58” incident that occurred in February was in fact the result of Jian and Chen operating the vessel to engage in smuggling activities, Peng said.

Disregarding the facts of the case, the DPP authorities maliciously hyped claims of “gray-zone harassment” by the mainland in an attempt to provoke confrontation and antagonism across the Taiwan Straits, Peng said, who sternly warned the DPP authorities that shielding and condoning smuggling crimes while exploiting them for political manipulation to undermine cross-Straits relations will inevitably be met with joint opposition from compatriots on both sides of the Straits and will ultimately backfire.

Also on Wednesday morning, the Weihai Municipal Public Security Bureau in East China’s Shandong Province issued a wanted notice stating that in June 2025, during an investigation into a suspect surnamed Liu and six other mainland crew members of the “Hongtai 58,” police uncovered a smuggling syndicate led by Taiwan residents Jian Wensheng and Chen Shunjin. 

The two had been placed on an online wanted list by Fujian Province’s Zhangzhou customs anti-smuggling bureau in 2014 for suspected smuggling of waste. The group allegedly controlled multiple vessels, including the Togolese-registered “Hongtai 58,” to conduct long-term smuggling of frozen goods into the mainland, according to a statement published by the bureau on its WeChat account. 

The bureau said it is now offering rewards for the arrest of Jian and Chen in accordance with the law and called on the public to actively provide clues. Individuals who provide effective information to public security authorities or assist in the capture of the criminal suspects will be rewarded with between 50,000 ($7,113.9) and 250,000 yuan, depending on the circumstances.