Taiwan has complained of a pattern of ramped up Chinese pressure
since Lai won the election in January, including ongoing
military actions, trade sanctions and coast guard patrols around
Taiwan-controlled islands next to China.
The new guidelines say China'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",
according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency.
The guidelines are being issued in accordance with laws already
on the books, including the 2005 anti-succession law, Xinhua
said.
That law gives China the legal basis for military action against
Taiwan if it secedes or seems about to.
Sun Ping, an official from China's Ministry of Public Security,
told reporters in Beijing the maximum penalty for the "crime of
secession" was the death penalty.
"The sharp sword of legal action will always hang high," she
said.
There was no immediate response from Taiwan's government. One
official told Reuters they were still digesting the contents of
the new guidelines.
The guidelines detail what is considered a crime worthy of
punishment, including promoting Taiwan's entry to international
organizations where statehood is a condition, having "external
official exchanges" and "suppressing" parties, groups and people
that promote "reunification".
The guidelines add a further clause to what could be considered
a crime - "other acts that seek to separate Taiwan from China" -
meaning the rules can be broadly interpreted.
Lai has repeatedly offered to hold talks with China but has been
rebuffed. He says only Taiwan's people can decide their future.
China has taken legal measures against Taiwanese officials
before, including imposing sanctions on Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan's
former de facto ambassador to the United States and now the
island's vice president.
Such punishments have little practical effect as Chinese courts
do not have jurisdiction in Taiwan, whose government rejects
Beijing's sovereignty claims.
Senior Taiwanese officials, including its president, also do not
visit China.
(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing and additional reporting
by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Christopher Cushing,
Miral Fahmy and Sharon Singleton)
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