A Taiwanese comedian who mocked Chinese President Xi Jinping by comparing him to Winnie the Pooh was deliberately struck by a car near his home in an alleged plot orchestrated by a man in China, prosecutors said Wednesday. Five Taiwanese men have been indicted in connection with the attack, which investigators say was intended to leave the comedian so badly injured that he would be unable to perform.
The intended victim was Huang Yi-hao, 44, a comedian known for satirical performances criticizing Xi and the Chinese Communist Party. According to prosecutors in New Taipei City, a person based in China offered the suspects 450,000 New Taiwan dollars, approximately $13,900, to break Huang's arms and legs and prevent him from appearing at a scheduled show on September 20.
The moment the comedian was struck by a car in Taiwan
(Video: Mirror Daily)
The September 11 attack initially appeared to be an ordinary traffic accident. Huang was riding his scooter near his home in New Taipei City when a car suddenly swerved toward him, striking the scooter and knocking him down. He suffered an injury to his pelvis but escaped the serious injuries his alleged attackers had been instructed to inflict.
An investigation later established that the collision had been planned in advance, prosecutors said. The suspects had allegedly monitored Huang's movements for weeks, collected information about his daily routine and installed a GPS tracking device on his scooter.
Huang had attracted attention with a December 2025 performance in which he mocked Xi's appearance, compared the Chinese leader to Winnie the Pooh and criticized Beijing's policies on Hong Kong, the COVID-19 pandemic and China's property crisis. Clips from the performance subsequently circulated widely on social media.
An alleged $14,000 plot to silence a comedian
According to the indictment, the alleged organizer was a person living in China who has so far been identified only by the nickname "K." Investigators believe the individual approached a Taiwanese man and offered him NT$450,000 to inflict injuries serious enough to require Huang's hospitalization.
The objective, prosecutors said, was to prevent Huang from performing at a comedy club on September 20. The alleged instructions included breaking the comedian's arms and legs.
The Taiwanese intermediary recruited four additional men to participate in the plan. Between July and August, the group allegedly gathered information about Huang's home address, scooter registration and regular movements. A GPS device was installed on his scooter, allowing the suspects to track his whereabouts.
The information was passed to the person in China, who allegedly transferred an advance payment of NT$250,000, approximately $7,700.
On September 11, three of the suspects positioned themselves near Huang's home. According to prosecutors, they began waiting at approximately 7:31 a.m. and remained in the area for hours.
When Huang approached his home that afternoon, one suspect alerted the driver to his arrival. The car then struck Huang and his scooter.
Another suspect, seated in the front passenger seat, filmed the collision to provide proof that the attack had been carried out, investigators said. The driver allegedly stopped the assault after hearing Huang scream.
Huang later described how the car suddenly veered toward him, striking his scooter before hitting him.
He said the vehicle's occupants quickly got out, apologized and invited him to sit inside their car. He refused because he did not know them.
Chinese President Xi Jinping
(Photo: Reuters, Shutterstock)
"They seemed concerned and friendly," he recalled, explaining that their behavior initially convinced him the collision had been an accident.
Only after investigators examined security camera footage did Huang learn that the incident had allegedly been staged.
The suspects reportedly tried to conceal their involvement even after the attack. According to prosecutors, they approached Huang under the pretext of helping him file an insurance claim and obtained a copy of his medical certificate, which contained personal information.
They then forwarded the document to the alleged organizer in China as evidence that Huang had been injured.
But the organizer was reportedly dissatisfied. Because Huang had suffered only relatively minor injuries and did not require prolonged hospitalization, the person allegedly refused to transfer the remaining NT$200,000, approximately $6,200.
The five defendants have been charged with offenses including attempted grievous bodily harm and violations of Taiwan's Personal Data Protection Act. The principal suspect also faces an allegation of unlawfully recording the comedian's private activities.
Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences ranging from two years and seven months to five years and six months. According to authorities, two defendants admitted involvement in the plot, and all five were remanded in custody with court approval.
The identity and background of the alleged organizer in China remain under investigation. Authorities have not established that the individual was acting under direct orders from the Chinese government.
Comedy club previously targeted with human waste
The car attack was not the first incident directed at Huang following his criticism of Xi.
In May, two men attacked a comedy club in Taipei where he regularly performed, throwing bags containing paint and human feces at the building. The walls, windows and floor were damaged, and Huang's performance was delayed by an hour.
Charges were also filed in that case after investigators determined that one of the alleged attackers had acted under instructions from a person in China. Prosecutors linked the incident to online videos in which Huang ridiculed Xi.
The comedy club in Taipei targeted with paint and human feces in May. 'All I did was mock Xi Jinping for two and a half minutes on a stage in Taiwan'
(Photo: Yahoo Taiwan)
Following the latest indictments, Huang addressed both incidents in a Facebook post.
"All I did was mock Xi Jinping for two and a half minutes on a stage in Taiwan," he wrote. "After that, I was targeted by an attack involving human waste and a deliberate car collision."
Despite acknowledging the fear caused by the attacks, Huang said he had no intention of abandoning his career or stopping his criticism of the Chinese leadership.
"I'm not a hero," he wrote in another post. "I do it because it's funny. If I stop, it will only be because it no longer interests me."
The revelations prompted strong reactions in Taiwan, where officials have repeatedly accused Beijing of trying to intimidate critics through threats, pressure and covert operations.
Prosecutors in New Taipei City described the case as a serious example of suspected transnational repression, alleging that people in China had recruited local intermediaries to silence political criticism through violence.
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council condemned the attack and warned that anyone accepting instructions or payments from Chinese actors to carry out acts of repression on the island would face prosecution.
According to figures released by the council, at least 126 people in Taiwan have been affected by activities it classifies as Chinese transnational repression.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has not ruled out using military force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan, meanwhile, operates as a self-governing democracy.
Taiwanese authorities argue that Beijing's efforts to influence the island extend beyond military threats and include attempts to intimidate political opponents and recruit local individuals to carry out coercive activities.
Chinese authorities had not responded to requests for comment on the new indictments.
For Huang, the attack illustrates what he believes is at stake for freedom of expression in Taiwan.
"If people are already being treated this way just for criticizing the Chinese Communist Party, when it doesn't even control Taiwan," he wrote, "how can we expect to preserve our freedom of speech if it controls us one day?"