China threatens death penalty for Taiwan ‘separatists’

China has officially defined behaviour aimed at Taiwan independence as a criminal act, threatening punishments up to the death penalty for perpetrators, in a move that analysts said would further inflame tensions across the Strait.

The new rules defined Taiwan independence as a crime under Chinese laws for the first time, analysts said. In severe cases, such as “plotting independence with the help of external forces”, the death penalty applies, Sun Ping, deputy head of the legal department of the Ministry for Public Security, said at a press conference in Beijing, according to Taiwanese media.

While the move was mostly symbolic, as Beijing does not have jurisdiction over Taiwan — which has its own government, borders, military and courts — it could discourage Taiwanese citizens from travelling to China, as well as make travel to other countries riskier.

“This announcement has a threefold purpose: they aim to explain domestically how they are countering ‘Taiwan independence’, they aim to declare internationally their claimed jurisdiction over Taiwan and they aim to deter Taiwanese,” said Chang Wu-yueh, an expert on cross-Strait relations at Tamkang University in Taipei.