China increased pressure on “diehard” Taiwan independence separatists on Friday, threatening to execute them in severe cases despite the fact that Chinese courts have no authority over the democratically ruled island.
Since President Lai Ching-te took office last month, China, which considers Taiwan to be its own territory, has made no secret of its disapproval of him, calling him a “separatist” and holding war simulations soon after.
Since Lai won the election in January, Taiwan has complained of a pattern of increased Chinese pressure, which includes continuous military operations, trade sanctions, and coast guard patrols around Taiwan-controlled islands adjacent to China.
According to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency, the new guidelines say that the country’s courts, prosecutors, public, and state security bodies should “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”.