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China has insisted that “most Taiwanese” can visit the country “in high spirits” after Taipei warned its citizens about Beijing’s threats to execute “staunch separatists”.
Taiwan issued a travel warning this week urging its citizens not to travel to China unless absolutely necessary, as new Chinese legal guidelines threaten to prosecute and, in extreme cases, the death penalty against Taiwanese separatists.
The warning also appears to apply to residents of Hong Kong and Macau.
The China Taiwan Affairs Office said on Friday that the new legal guidelines only target separatists and their “evil words and actions.”
“The majority of Taiwan compatriots can participate in cross-strait exchanges and cooperation and need not worry about travel to and from mainland China. They can definitely arrive in good spirits and depart satisfied,” the office said.
China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and President Xi Jinping has threatened to “reunify” the island with mainland China, by force if necessary, but its democratically elected government insists only the Taiwanese people can choose their own future.
Beijing’s claim to be the sole legitimate government of China is known as the “One China Principle” and is accepted and recognised by all countries except for a few that risk being cut off from trade with mainland China.
The United States formally recognises the one-China principle but maintains close informal ties with Taiwan and does not accept Beijing’s sovereign claims over the island.
Tensions between China and Taiwan have risen in recent months, with Beijing stepping up its military activities around Taiwan.
The United States also recently claimed in an intelligence report that China is preparing its military for an invasion of Taiwan “by 2027.”
China has openly expressed its dislike for Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, whom it considers a “separatist.”
Further reporting to the institution
