The transnational threat campaign follows years of CCP pressure to interfere with the performing arts group’s global tour.
Taiwanese authorities suspect that some of the most recent bomb threats targeting New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts are linked to a research entity of Chinese tech giant Huawei, The Epoch Times has learned.
The classical Chinese dance company, founded by Chinese artists living in the United States, showcases Chinese civilization before communist rule. It has faced dozens of violent threats since March 2024, during its global touring season.
In Taiwan, government offices and hosting venues in several cities recently have received at least 17 emails threatening explosions or mass shootings, aimed at stopping the performances.
The senders have used a jump host to make it appear that the emails came from countries such as France, the United States, and elsewhere.
Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau said that through a multiagency investigation, it has traced the emails back to Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province in central China. The emails appear to have originated from a location near the Huawei Xi’an Institute, a research center of the company that now plays a key role in aiding Beijing’s global tech ambitions, Taiwanese authorities confirmed.
The organization, situated in a state-level high-tech development zone, has become a prime suspect in Taiwan’s investigation. Taiwanese authorities pointed to the institute as the most consequential entity in the vicinity; they also did not rule out the possibility that Chinese state-funded internet trolls—also known as the “50 Cent Army”—were behind the campaign.
A spokesperson for the bureau told The Epoch Times that it has shared the details with mainland authorities but received no response.
Huawei did not reply to The Epoch Times’ request for comment.
The threat emails have often contained graphic details, sometimes including photos of a gun or other items to further demonstrate their intent. No actual harm has materialized so far, but at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington and theaters in other countries, the threats have led to the venues being evacuated ahead of the scheduled shows and canine units being called in to search the sites.
By Eva Fu
