The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Friday (June 21) rebuked China for imposing draconian punishments for “Taiwan independence die-hards.”
The Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Friday released an “opinion” on actions “inciting secession” that included punishments such as the death penalty. MAC responded “the Beijing authorities have absolutely no jurisdiction over Taiwan,” and this approach “will only provoke cross-strait confrontation.”
China’s Supreme People’s Court, Supreme People’s Procuratorate, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of National Security, and Ministry of Justice jointly held a press conference at the TAO to announce the measures, which took immediate effect.
The new guidelines are based on China’s Anti-Secession Law, the Criminal Law, and the Criminal Procedure Law and “severely punish Taiwan independence die-hards for splitting the country and inciting secession crimes in accordance with the law, and resolutely defend national sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity,” reported China’s state-run Xinhua.
In response, MAC issued a press release saying that “Taiwan’s 23 million citizens enjoy inalienable freedoms, democracy, and rights in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of China.”
“The Beijing authorities have no judicial jurisdiction over Taiwan, and the CCP’s so-called laws and regulations have no binding force on the people of Taiwan.”
The council urged the public to remain calm and refuse to be intimidated by the CCP.”
MAC said Beijing’s actions “will only provoke confrontation between the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, severely affect cross-strait exchanges, and will not contribute to the positive development of cross-strait relations.”
MAC said the case highlights the differences between the CCP’s system and Taiwan’s free and democratic constitutional system. It argued that to maintain its one-party totalitarian dictatorship “the CCP suffers from an extreme lack of a sense of security.”
The council advised Taiwanese to carefully consider the necessity of traveling to China. It also urged those in China to pay attention to their personal safety.
