Members of the US House of Representatives’ Congressional Taiwan Caucus on Friday issued a bilateral statement condemning China’s 22 guidelines targeting Taiwanese as an act that severely threatens regional stability and peace.
Congressional Taiwan Caucus cochairs Ami Bera, Gerald Connolly, Andy Barr and Mario Diaz-Balart said in a statement that “this escalatory move by Beijing represents a significant threat to peace and stability in the region.”
The guidelines would “have a severe chilling effect on exchanges with China” and represent “a destabilizing policy approach to cross-strait relations,” they said.
Photo: screen grab from Mario Diaz-Balart’s X account
“The Congressional Taiwan Caucus will continue to stand with our key democratic partner, Taiwan, as it faces an increasingly belligerent and dangerous” People’s Republic of China, the statement said.
Late last month, China issued the 22-point set of “guidelines” to penalize “die-hard” Taiwanese independence separatists, including with the death penalty.
US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink had said during a congressional testimony session on June 27 that Beijing was pushing for extraterritorial jurisdiction in a “worrisome way” that would create a chilling effect on cross-strait dialogue and interaction.
That same day, the Mainland Affairs Council issued a travel advisory that upgraded the warning for travel to China, Hong Kong and Macau to orange from yellow, and urged Taiwanese to refrain from traveling there unless absolutely necessary.
Separately, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office on Friday said that four types of actions could be considered separatist crimes.
First, starting or establishing a pro-Taiwanese independence organization to plan and engage in plans to “split” the country and damage ‘national unity,” it said.
Second, drafting or amending legislation to clarify or annul regulations or referendum voting methods regarding the “Taiwan area” to undermine the legality of Taiwan being part of China.
Third, campaigning for Taiwan to join international bodies limited to the participation of sovereign states, or making contact with other countries, diplomatically or militarily, to create the semblance of “two Chinas,” “one China, one Taiwan” or an “independent Taiwan.”
Last, a person using their position to alter the “fact” that “Taiwan is a part of China” through cultural or historical education, or through news and media, or acts of oppressing parties, groups and individuals supporting the peaceful development and unification of China and Taiwan, the office said.
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
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A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
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