New rules put 'Taiwan separatists' on final notice

The central authorities have put Taiwan's hardcore separatists, those seeking foreign support in particular, on final notice, urging them to accept the 1992 Consensus or face the music.

The Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the ministries of public security, State security and justice jointly issued a set of guidelines in Beijing on Friday, according to which criminal penalties will be handed down to "diehard" supporters of "Taiwan independence" for engaging in or inciting separatist activities.

The guidelines, which use the term "diehard" for clarification, have provisions for trial in absentia, come against the backdrop of escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait, triggered by intensified separatist activities on Taiwan island, especially since the island's new administrative chief Lai Ching-te assumed office on May 20. Incidentally, Lai, too, is a diehard separatist given that he calls himself a "pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence".

The set of guidelines also acts as a warning to external forces trying to interfere in the Taiwan question to keep their hands off China's internal affairs.

While all the 183 countries that have diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, that is, about 95 percent of the United Nations member states, formally recognize the one-China principle, it is the world's worst kept secret that some of them, including some major Western powers, favor Taiwan's de facto separation from the Chinese mainland, although none of them would be brazen enough to openly advocate for the island's de jure independence, because of China's economic and political might and its growing role on the international stage.

Western nations' rejection or backing of separatism in foreign countries is not a matter of principle but depends merely on geopolitical considerations. For instance, while most Western governments supported Kosovo's secession from Serbia, they have kept their hands off the Catalan separatism row in Spain. For obvious reasons, the Spanish government continues to regard Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in 2008 as a violation of international law.

Similarly, while some Western countries have cast doubts on Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's autonomous status within the People's Republic of China, they have remained virtually mum on the Indian government's revocation of the special autonomy status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.

According to the guidelines jointly issued on Friday, "criminal acts include advocating for Taiwan's entry into international organizations limited to sovereign states or engaging in official exchanges and military contacts abroad to create 'two Chinas' or 'one China, one Taiwan' in the international community".

Supported by a number of foreign countries, the Taiwan authorities have for years tried in vain to join the World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health Organization.

A spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said on Friday that "it is a common practice for countries around the world to use criminal justice measures to punish criminals who conduct secession and safeguard the core interests of the state".

Indeed, there are a number of countries that have implemented laws criminalizing separatism and/or secessionist activities, such as NATO member Turkiye and ASEAN member Indonesia.

In my opinion, the guidelines are a warning to intransigent separatists in Taiwan, particularly those backed by foreign governments, parties and think tanks, that their actions entail potentially dire consequences.

I grew up just a few kilometers from the border that divided my home country Germany which, thanks to the powers that be, has been reunited since 1990. Though the situation of the Chinese mainland and Taiwan is different from that of the two Germanys before 1990, I do sincerely hope to be able to witness the peaceful reunification of China in my lifetime.

In order to achieve this goal, two main conditions must be met: Taiwan's "diehard" separatists must come to their senses and accept the historic reality that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, while foreign powers must keep their promise they made when they established diplomatic relations with Beijing that there is only one China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China — and they must accept the fact that cross-Strait relations are a domestic matter of the Chinese nation.

I believe anything else can be discussed within the framework of the 1992 Consensus by the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, necessarily without foreign meddling.

The author is director of the Macau Post Daily.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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