Credits to the owner
TAIPEI — Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te asserted on Monday that China “has no right to punish” Taiwanese citizens for their views or advocacy, in response to Beijing’s recent warnings that “diehard” supporters of Taiwan’s independence could face the death penalty.
China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has refused to rule out using force to bring the democratic island under its control. The tension between the two sides has escalated, with Beijing increasing its pressure on Taipei and conducting military drills around the island following Lai’s inauguration last month.
Last Friday, Beijing issued new judicial guidelines that included the death penalty for “particularly serious” cases involving staunch advocates of Taiwanese independence, according to state media reports.
Responding to these guidelines, Lai emphasized, “I want to emphasize that democracy is not the source of crime. Autocracy is the crime.” He further stated, “China has no right to punish the people of Taiwan just because of what they advocate. China has no right to pursue cross-border prosecution of Taiwanese people.”
Lai cautioned that relations between Taiwan and China would become “more and more alienated” if China does not “face up to the existence of the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name) and conduct exchanges and dialogues with Taiwan’s democratically elected and legitimate government.” He stressed that such dialogue is “the correct way to enhance the well-being of people on both sides” of the Taiwan Strait.
Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party has long advocated for Taiwanese sovereignty, and Beijing has severed top-level communications with Taipei since 2016, when Lai’s predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, came to power. China has labeled Lai a “dangerous separatist” and condemned his inaugural speech as a “confession of Taiwan independence.” Despite Lai’s call for resuming dialogue with Beijing during his speech, China has seemingly rebuffed these overtures.
China continues to maintain a near-daily presence of naval vessels and warplanes around Taiwan. On Monday, Taiwan’s military reported that 23 Chinese warplanes and seven naval vessels had been detected in the previous 24 hours, underscoring the ongoing tensions in the region.