Taiwan Raises China Travel Alert Over Beijing’s Death Penalty Threats

Taiwanese sailors salute the island's flag on the deck of the Panshih supply ship after taking part in annual drills at the Tsoying naval base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Jan. 31, 2018. (Mandy Cheng/AFP via Getty Images)

Taiwan has raised its travel warning for China to the second-highest level, telling its citizens to avoid taking “non-essential travel” to the country, following threats from Beijing to impose the death penalty on “diehard” supporters of the island’s independence.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, a cabinet-level administrative agency responsible for handling affairs concerning China, raised the travel alert from “yellow” to “orange” in the island’s four-level advisory system, according to a June 27 press release.

Besides the mainland, the latest travel warning encompasses Hong Kong and Macau.

“Yellow” alert means travel should be reconsidered. The highest-level alert, “red,” means that people should refrain from traveling to the area in question.

China’s communist regime, which considers Taiwan to be a part of its territory, often accuses the Taiwanese of being “separatists” or “secessionists” when they speak up for the island’s sovereignty or call the island a “sovereign and independent country.”

Beijing published new judicial guidelines on June 21 to target these individuals. The guidelines list several activities—such as promoting Taiwan’s membership in international organizations—as criminal acts. Chinese courts will be allowed to try these individuals in absentia, and the punishment includes lengthy prison terms and the death penalty.

Liang Wen-chieh, deputy head and spokesperson of the Mainland Affairs Council, held a press conference on Thursday announcing the updated travel warning, saying that China’s guidelines “further increase the personal safety risks for Taiwan people traveling to China, Hong Kong, and Macau.”

Mr. Liang added that the decision was made after the Taiwan government made a “comprehensive assessment.”

For those who must make a trip, Mr. Liang said that they should avoid certain activities, such as discussing sensitive political issues, taking pictures of seaports, airports, or military facilities, and carrying books on politics, history, or religion.

Additionally, according to Mr. Liang, Taiwanese citizens should register their travel plans on the council’s website before taking a trip to China, Hong Kong, or Macau.

“As a government agency, we have an obligation to remind people that there are indeed risks,” Mr. Liang said. “We can only hope that Taiwan people can pay more attention to their own safety [and] give some thought before going.”

Taiwan

Last week, the Mainland Affairs Council issued a statement criticizing the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) decision, saying the new guidelines “will only fuel antagonism and hinder interactions between the people across the Taiwan Strait.”

The agency also said Beijing’s decision “serves to highlight the stark contrast between the CCP’s political system and the free, democratic constitutional system that exists in Taiwan.”

The U.S. State Department has also criticized Beijing for its new guidelines. “We strongly condemn the escalatory and destabilizing language and actions from [CCP] officials. We continue to urge restraint and no unilateral change to the status quo,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a briefing on June 24.

Taiwan’s travel alert to China was “red” during the COVID-19 pandemic beginning on Feb. 5, 2020, before it was downgraded to “yellow” on Oct. 13, 2022.

Mr. Liang also answered a question about whether Beijing could seek to extradite overseas Taiwanese accused by the CCP of committing separatism.

“The so-called crime of separatism is a political crime. And it is a political crime specific to China, which other countries do not have. Therefore, we assess that all developed and advanced countries will not extradite Taiwanese to China for the so-called crime of separatism,” Mr. Liang said.

“However, we cannot rule out that some countries may be particularly cooperative. So we still have to remind our people to pay attention,” he added, without naming any nations.

Beijing has labeled Taiwan President Lai Ching-te as a “dangerous separatist.” Days after Mr. Lai’s inauguration in May, the CCP launched military drills encircling Taiwan for two days, describing the exercises as “punishment” for “separatist acts.”

On June 25, Mr. Lai met a delegation from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Following the meeting, he took to social media X, to emphasize the importance of the U.S.–Taiwan partnership.

“Our partnership is crucial as Taiwan faces escalating gray-zone aggression from China, including diplomatic pressure, economic coercion, cognitive warfare, & lawfare,” Mr. Lai wrote.

Reuters contributed to this report.