Washington Condemns Beijing’s Taiwan Independence Death Penalty Threats

Taiwan's armed forces hold routine drills at a military base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Jan. 11, 2023. Annabelle Chih/Getty Images

The U.S. Department of State has denounced the Chinese communist regime’s new judicial guidelines that seek to impose the death penalty for “diehard” supporters of Taiwan’s independence.

“We strongly condemn the escalatory and destabilizing language and actions from [China’s] officials. We continue to urge restraint and no unilateral change to the status quo,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a news briefing on June 24.

“We urge [China] to engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan. Threats and legal warfare will not achieve [a] peaceful resolution to cross-strait differences.”

On June 21, Beijing issued new judicial guidelines that target what it called “Taiwan independence separatists.” The guidelines call on courts, prosecutors, and law enforcement agencies to “severely punish Taiwan independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession crimes in accordance with the law.”

The guidelines outline multiple activities involving Taiwan’s independence as criminal acts, including founding a Taiwan independence “secessionist” organization, or “attempting to change the legal status of Taiwan as a part of China” through amendments of regulations or a referendum.

Notably, it said that “those who cause particularly serious harm to the state and the people and the circumstances are particularly heinous shall be sentenced to death.”

Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, rejected Beijing’s threat and called for dialogue during a news conference on June 24.

“I want to stress: Democracy is not a crime; it’s autocracy that is the real evil. China has absolutely no right to sanction Taiwan’s people just because of the positions they hold. What’s more, China has no right to go after Taiwan people’s rights across borders,” he said.

According to the Chinese communist regime, anyone who does not uphold “reunification” is therefore a Taiwan independence supporter, Mr. Lai said.

“I also want to call on China to face up to the existence of the Republic of China [Taiwan] and have exchanges and dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected, legitimate government,” he said. “If this is not done, relations between Taiwan and China will only become more and more estranged.”

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) agreed with Mr. Lai’s position regarding the threats made by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

“China has no authority to bully Taiwan with sanctions. We stand with the Taiwanese as they show freedom & democracy are thriving in East Asia amidst the darkness of the CCP,” he said in a post on social media platform X.

CCP Has ‘No Jurisdiction Over Taiwan’

In response to Beijing’s judicial guidelines, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said that Beijing has no jurisdiction over its 23 million citizens and urged its people “not to be threatened or intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party.”

“We deeply regret the extremely uncivilized and crude provocation,” the MAC said in a statement, warning that the CCP’s actions will “seriously affect” exchanges between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

“The Beijing authorities have absolutely no jurisdiction over Taiwan, and the CCP’s so-called laws and norms have no binding force on our people.”

Beijing’s military aggression against Taiwan has intensified in recent years; military aircraft and vessels have been deployed close to the island almost daily. Last month, the Chinese military launched two-day exercises around Taiwan in response to Mr. Lai’s inauguration.

The CCP labels the president as a “dangerous separatist,” and has rejected his repeated calls for talks.

Last week, during his visit to Taiwan’s top military school, Mr. Lai said the Taiwanese military’s highest mission is to protect its people and to maintain “peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

The CCP claims Taiwan as its territory and has stated that it is willing to use force to achieve unification if necessary. It has said that any move by Taiwan to declare formal independence would be grounds to attack the island.

Taiwan is home to the government of the Republic of China (ROC), which retreated to the island in 1949 after losing the Chinese Civil War to communist forces. Before its defeat, the ROC controlled a major part of mainland China. In contrast, the CCP has never governed Taiwan.

Aldgra Fredly and Reuters contributed to this report.