Taiwan Issues Travel Warning After Beijing’s Threat of Death Penalty

June 28, 2024 TruthUSA

Beijing’s newly-released judicial guidelines targeting Taiwan independence ‘diehards’ put Taiwanese traveling to China, Hong Kong, and Macau at risk.

Taiwan has raised its travel warning for China to the second-highest level, advising its citizens to refrain from taking “non-essential travel” to the country. This action follows threats from Beijing to impose the death penalty on supporters of Taiwan’s independence.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, a cabinet-level administrative agency handling affairs concerning China, elevated the travel alert from “yellow” to “orange”, according to a June 27 press release.

In addition to the mainland, the updated travel warning now includes Hong Kong and Macau.

The “yellow” alert advises to reconsider travel decisions, while the highest-level “red” alert recommends refraining from traveling to the specified area.

China often accuses Taiwanese individuals of being “separatists” or “secessionists” when they advocate for Taiwan’s sovereignty or declare the island as a “sovereign and independent country.”

On June 21, Beijing issued new judicial guidelines targeting these individuals. The guidelines deem various activities, such as endorsing Taiwan’s membership in international organizations, as criminal offenses. Chinese courts are authorized to try these individuals in absentia, with potential punishments including lengthy prison sentences and the death penalty.

Liang Wen-chieh, deputy head and spokesperson of the Mainland Affairs Council, conducted a press conference on Thursday to announce the updated travel warning, highlighting that China’s guidelines heighten personal safety risks for Taiwanese travelers to China, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Mr. Liang emphasized that this decision was made after a comprehensive assessment by the Taiwan government.

For those who must travel, Mr. Liang advised avoiding certain activities such as discussing sensitive political topics, taking photos of ports, airports, or military installations, and carrying books on politics, history, or religion.

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

“As a government agency, we have a duty to warn people of potential risks,” Mr. Liang stated. “We can only hope that Taiwanese individuals prioritize their safety and carefully consider their travel decisions.”

Taiwan

Last week, the Mainland Affairs Council released a statement denouncing the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) stance, indicating that the new guidelines will further strain relations and hinder interactions between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The agency also noted that Beijing’s decision accentuates the contrasting political systems between the CCP and Taiwan’s free, democratic constitutional system.

The U.S. State Department also condemned Beijing’s new guidelines, criticizing the escalatory and destabilizing actions from CCP officials. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated during a briefing on June 24, urging restraint and no unilateral changes to the existing status quo.

Taiwan’s travel alert for China was at the “red” level during the COVID-19 pandemic initiation on February 5, 2020, before being downgraded to “yellow” on October 13, 2022.

Mr. Liang also addressed the possibility of Beijing seeking extradition of overseas Taiwanese individuals accused by the CCP of separatist activities.

“The crime of separatism is a political offense specific to China, not recognized by other countries. Therefore, we believe that developed nations will not extradite Taiwanese on such grounds,” Mr. Liang explained.

“However, we cannot dismiss the potential cooperation from certain countries. Hence, it is essential for our people to remain vigilant,” he added, without specifying any countries.

Beijing has tagged Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te as a “dangerous separatist.” Following Mr. Lai’s inauguration in May, the CCP conducted military exercises encircling Taiwan for two days, citing the drills as “punishment” for alleged separatist actions.

On June 25, Mr. Lai met with a delegation from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Following the meeting, he underscored the significance of the U.S.–Taiwan partnership on social media X, highlighting the mounting gray-zone aggression from China towards Taiwan.

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

Reuters contributed to this report.

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