Beijing: China vowed on Friday to punish the “Diehard” politicians Taiwan, saying it would prohibit some from visiting the mainland, because of tensions between Beijing and Taipei spiked to the highest level for many years.
China claims Taiwan as its territory – to be seized one day, by force if necessary – and have intensified efforts in recent years to isolate the island internationally on the international stage.
On Friday, the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing warned that “the mainland will pursue criminal responsibility for Diehard independence of Taiwan in accordance with the law, to be effective for life”.
The statement by spokesman Zhu Taiwan Fenglian named Premier Su Tseng-chang, the speaker of parliament Yu Shyi-kun and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu as a minority of supporters of independence.
Zhu said that politicians “have tried to instigate cross-strait confrontation, attacking and slandering the land …
very damaging cross-strait relations”.
He added that Beijing has banned them and their family members to enter the mainland, Hong Kong or Macau.
Their affiliates will also be limited because of working with organizations and individuals mainland, he said, without giving further details.
Nationalist Kuomintang party fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the Chinese Civil War.
The island of 24 million people has been transformed into a vibrant democracy and a major technology hub, led many – including President Tsai Ing-Wen – to assert a distinct identity in Taiwan, which attacked Beijing as a separatist.
Beijing-Taipei ties have fallen because of Tsai’s rise to power in 2016.
“Those who forget their ancestors, betray their homeland and divided the country will not end,” said Zhu.
The comments come a day after the head of the European Parliament delegation visiting Taiwan Taipei called democracy “treasures” to be protected, promised to stand with the island.
China has dramatically increased military activity in recent years, with a record number of aircraft that interfere with the air defense identification zone of the island (Adiz) in early October.