China has introduced the death penalty for “particularly serious” cases among its new judicial guidelines on punishing “diehard” supporters of Taiwanese independence, state media reported on Friday.
Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to reunify with the self-ruled island. The pressure on Taipei has increased, with Beijing conducting war games around the island last month following the inauguration of Taiwan’s new leader, Lai Ching-te.
State news agency Xinhua announced that Beijing released a notice detailing punishments for “Taiwan independence” advocates accused of splitting the country and inciting secession. The notice includes the death penalty for ringleaders of independence efforts who cause “particularly serious harm to the state and the people.”
Other leading advocates could face jail terms ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment, the notice said, according to Xinhua.
Taipei responded swiftly, asserting that Beijing has “no legal jurisdiction at all over Taiwan” and that these rules “have no binding force on our people.” Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council stated that Beijing’s actions would only provoke confrontation across the Taiwan Strait and are not conducive to positive cross-Strait relations.
‘Sharp Sword’
Xinhua reported that Beijing’s notice targets individuals who form “secessionist organizations” or direct activities aimed at splitting the state. It also addresses attempts to change Taiwan’s legal status as part of China, promote exchanges between Taiwan and sovereign nations, or distort the fact that Taiwan is part of China in education, culture, history, or news media.
These new rules took effect in China on Friday, according to Xinhua.
At a news briefing in Beijing, top security official Sun Ping said the guidelines mean “the sharp sword of legal action will always hang high” over alleged secessionists, as reported by the state-run People’s Daily. Sun emphasized that the rules target only a small minority of independence advocates, not the majority of Taiwanese compatriots.
Lai, who took office on May 20 and is a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, has maintained that Taiwan is already effectively independent and does not need to declare it formally. Beijing has labeled Lai a “dangerous separatist” and has not engaged in top-level communications with Taipei since 2016.
China continues to maintain a near-daily presence of naval vessels and warplanes around Taiwan and conducted three-day drills last month, dubbed Joint Sword-2024A, to test its ability to seize control of the island.