China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) yesterday announced sanctions against five Taiwanese politicians, pundits and public figures critical of Beijing, accusing them of spreading disinformation about China.
The five are: Liu Bao-jie (劉寶傑), Lee Zheng-hao (李正皓), Wang Yi-chuan (王義川), Yu Pei-chen (于北辰), Huang Shih-tsung (黃世聰), TAO spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) told a routine news briefing, adding that the sanctions included their families.
They were responsible for making up and spreading false information about China that “deceived some Taiwanese, sowed division ... and harmed brotherly goodwill across the Strait,” Chen said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Speech is not free from the regulations of Chinese law, which punishes manufacturing incorrect information, spreading rumors or causing harm to the nation’s interest and honor, he said.
Asked to specify the form of the sanctions, Chen said they would be similar to the punitive measures previously imposed by the Chinese government on supporters of Taiwanese independence.
Beijing’s past sanctions on Taiwanese figures have included banning them and family members from entering China and its territories, doing business or engaging in collaborations in the country, and punitive measures targeting people and entities affiliated with the sanctioned individuals.
Wang, who is director of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Policy Research and Coordinating Committee, wrote on Threads that he “is not the first and will not be the last” to draw Beijing’s ire for voicing an opinion.
“The TAO’s use of divisive labels is exactly what harms ties,” he said, adding that the office “claims to welcome dialogue, but simultaneously interferes with the exercise of free speech by Taiwanese.”
Yu, a Taoyuan city councilor and retired army general, told Central News Agency that the Chinese officials were 41 years late in imposing sanctions on him, as he enlisted in the armed forces in 1983.
He added that being recognized by the enemy for opposing communism is the greatest honor he has ever had and better than any medal he received.
Beijing has accused 15 Taiwanese politicians and public figures of separatism since the TAO in 2020 disclosed the existence of a “stubbornly pro-Taiwan independence” list.
The TAO a year later announced sanctions on DPP politicians, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), then-premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and then-legislative speaker You Si-kun (游錫?).
In 2022, then-representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), then-National Security Council secretary-general Wellington Koo (顧立雄), legislators Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) and Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), and then-DPP deputy secretary-general Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) were added to the list.
Beijing imposed augmented sanctions on Hsiao during last year’s presidential campaign, when she was incoming president William Lai’s (賴清德) running mate.
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