China’s government has called for people to denounce “diehard secessionists” and give information about their “criminal activities” as it intensifies its legal and rhetorical intimidation of Taiwan.
The Taiwan affairs office and ministry of public security this week launched new webpages with lists of 10 current and former officials in Taiwan who have been named as “diehard” separatists.
The site includes a prominently displayed email address and urges people to report “the clues and crimes” of those on the list, as well as “new ‘Taiwan independence’ diehards who commit serious crimes”.
China’s ruling Communist party (CCP) claims Taiwan is a province of China and has vowed to annex the territory, by force if necessary. Taiwan’s democratically elected government and a growing majority of its people reject the prospect of Chinese rule, and both sides have been preparing for a potential war in coming decades.
The 10 names – which had been previously announced in 2021 and 2022 – including Taiwan’s vice-president, Hsiao Bi-khim, the former foreign minister and now head of Taiwan’s security council, Joseph Wu, Wu’s deputy, Lin Fei-fan, and senior officials from the ruling Democratic Progressive party.
The new site and tipline are part of a broader escalation by Beijing against Taiwan and those who maintain that it is not and will not become a part of the People’s Republic of China. Official state media said the pages, which also included legal documents and government statements, “present the legal foundation for such actions”.
China’s hawkish state media tabloid, the Global Times, said the publication of the 10 names served as “both as a deterrent and as a clear message that the criminal justice measures are aimed at a small number of diehard individuals who engage in or incite secession activities, and do not target the majority of Taiwan compatriots”.
In June the CCP said “ringleaders” of independence efforts would face the death penalty under Chinese laws. It issued new guidelines for Chinese courts, prosecutors and public and state security bodies to “severely punish Taiwan independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession crimes in accordance with the law, and resolutely defend national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity”, according to state media.
“The sharp sword of legal action will always hang high,” Sun Ping, an official from China’s ministry of public security, told reporters in Beijing.
Taiwan’s leaders rejected Beijing’s claim that its laws had any jurisdiction over Taiwan, which has its own government, legal system, currency and military.
“The government appeals to our country’s people to feel at ease and not to be threatened or intimidated by the Chinese Communist party,” Taiwan’s mainland affairs council said at the time.
