China’s addition of a new section on so-called “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists” on its Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Web site has created “more obstacles and harm in cross-strait interactions,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday.
Such a move hinders exchanges and communication between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and does not contribute to promoting positive exchanges, MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said.
The new section, which was set up on Wednesday, lists 10 “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists” that the TAO announced in 2021 and 2022, including Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
Previous TAO statements and legal documents about Taiwanese independence, such as a new set of guidelines announced on June 21 targeting “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” are also included in the new section, which features a mailbox for reporting “crimes” and providing evidence against people on the list and other independence advocates.
The guidelines allow courts in China to try “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists” in absentia, with those convicted of inciting “secession” who also cause “grave harm to the state and the [Chinese] people” potentially being sentenced to death, a report by Xinhua news agency said.
Beijing’s latest move has sparked criticism in Taiwan, drawing condemnation from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party, and prompting the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to issue a statement that the move was tantamount to inciting mutual attacks between people on both sides of the Strait.
On Thursday, TAO spokesperson Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮), in a news release, accused DPP authorities of deliberately confusing the majority of Taiwanese with a minority of “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists” and attempting to “drag innocent people into supporting ‘Taiwan independence.’”
In response, Liang said the new section could lead to negative consequences such as encouraging people to report others, citing examples where people were reported not because they support Taiwanese independence, but because of industry competition, personal grudges or differences in opinions.
“If such a trend of encouraging reporting takes hold, it could lead to many people being inexplicably caught up in it,” he added.
Although Chinese authorities have repeatedly claimed that only a small number of people are targeted, that would not be the case if the trend takes hold, Liang said.
Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致), director of Taiwan Thinktank’s China Research Center, said that China’s aim was to make an example of the 10 people on its list to emphasize that it is targeting only “die-hard” independence activists for punishment and reduce concern among ordinary Taiwanese that they would also be affected.
Setting up the new section also demonstrates that action has been taken following the issuance of the new guidelines, he added.
By setting up a mailbox to report those separatists, the Chinese authorities are attempting to enumerate or create conditions that can be defined as supporting Taiwanese independence, he said.
Institute for National Policy Research director Wang Hung-jen (王宏仁) said that the measure is an extension of China’s legal battle with Taiwan, with the goal of instilling fear among Taiwanese to make them more amenable to accepting conditions proposed by Beijing.
China has adopted a more lenient approach toward the general population “to make ordinary Taiwanese feel positively about China while intimidating Taiwanese independence advocates,” he added.
Regarding the mailbox for reporting separatists, Wang said that it is part of China’s strategy to monitor its society, which it has expanded to apply to “die-hard Taiwanese independence advocates.”
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
SOUTH KOREA DISPUTE: If Seoul continues to ignore its request, Taiwan would change South Korea’s designation on its arrival cards, the foreign ministry said If South Korea does not reply appropriately to a request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, the government would take corresponding measures to change how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. Taipei has asked Seoul to change the wording. Since March 1, South Koreans who hold government-issued Alien Resident Certificates (ARC) have been identified as from “South Korea” rather than the “Republic of Korea,” the
RSS