China has no jurisdiction over Taiwan, and its so-called laws and norms have no binding force on Taiwanese, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday as it called on Taiwanese “not to be threatened and intimidated” by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The council issued the remarks after China earlier in the day threatened to impose the death penalty in extreme cases of what it called “diehard Taiwanese independence separatists.”
China’s state-run Xinhua news agency yesterday said the Chinese government unveiled guidelines that say its courts, prosecutors, public and state security bodies should “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession in accordance with the law, and resolutely defend national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.”
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
The guidelines are in accordance with the law, including the 2005 “Anti-Secession” Law, Xinhua said.
Chinese Ministry of Public Security official Sun Ping (孫萍) yesterday told a news briefing in Beijing that the maximum penalty for the “crime of secession” was the death penalty.
“The sharp sword of legal action will always hang high,” she said.
The guidelines detail what is considered a crime worthy of punishment, including promoting Taiwan’s entry to international organizations where statehood is a condition, having “external official exchanges,” and “suppressing” groups or people promoting “reunification.”
The guidelines define “other acts that seek to separate Taiwan from China” a crime — a vague definition that could be interpreted in different ways.
The rules took effect in China yesterday, Xinhua said.
The MAC said that Beijing’s announcement is regretful, adding that it only highlighted the absolute and fundamental differences in the systems of government between Taiwan and China.
Under the Republic of China’s Constitution, Taiwan’s 23 million people enjoy rights to freedom and democracy, and such rights cannot be taken away from them, the MAC said.
The CCP’s regulations have no authority over Taiwanese, it added.
China’s actions serve only to sow discord among people on either side of the Taiwan Strait and severely harm civil exchanges, it said.
Such acts are also an “uncivilized and brutish challenge” against free and democratic countries that love Taiwan and support its democracy, the MAC said.
Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said that Beijing’s clear stance on using the law as punishment is an attempt to place more pressure on Taiwanese and increase the efficacy of its legal warfare tactics.
National Cheng Kung University political science academic Hung Chin-fu (洪敬富) said legal warfare has been an oft-seen method of oppression since the 20th National Congress of the CCP in October last year.
The guidelines issued by the CCP yesterday do not mention the scope of the law’s enforcement, giving rise to selective enforcement on isolated individuals to make an example and deter people through fear, Hung said.
Hung and Wu urged Taiwanese to exercise caution when contemplating a visit to China, and ensure that their past actions and speech do not contravene its laws.
Additional reporting by Wu Che-yu
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about 1,900 as
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
The WHO ignored early COVID-19 warnings from Taiwan, US Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill said on Friday, as part of justification for Washington withdrawing from the global health body. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said that the US was pulling out of the UN agency, as it failed to fulfill its responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO “ignored early COVID warnings from Taiwan in 2019 by pretending Taiwan did not exist, O’Neill wrote on X on Friday, Taiwan time. “It ignored rigorous science and promoted lockdowns.” The US will “continue international coordination on infectious
RSS