China takes punitive action against organisations advocating Taiwan's independence

Beijing [China], April 9 : China took punitive measures against "Prospect Foundation" and "Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats" for advocating "Taiwan independence," reported Bangkok Post.

The two Taiwan orgsations have been prohibited from forging any cooperation with mainland orgzations and individuals.

Their heads have been banned from entering the mainland and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao, reported Bangkok Post.

Acting on instructions of the Democratic Progressive Party authorities, the two orgzations, under the pretext of "democracy," "freedom" and "cooperation," and under the guise of "academic exchanges" and "seminars," have wantonly peddled the idea of "Taiwan independence" in the international arena, said Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the office.

They have gone all out to ingratiate themselves with anti-China forces, and have engaged in incidents that promoted "one China, one Taiwan," "two Chinas," and other violations of the one-China principle, in an attempt to expand the so-called "international space" of Taiwan, Zhu added.

Meanwhile, China on Friday announced fresh sanctions against Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the United States, and punitive steps on two American institutes that hosted the island's leader Tsai Ing-wen during her US stopovers as part of her tour of Central American allies - Guatemala and Belize, reported Kyodo News.

The measures were released after Tsai met with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday in California, angering Beijing which regards the self-ruled democratic island as its own.

A spokesperson of the ruling Communist Party's Taiwan Work Office called Hsiao a "diehard 'Taiwan independence' separatist" and banned her and her family members from entering the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao.

China had slapped similar sanction measures, including the entry ban on Hsiao, last August in response to a visit to Taiwan by McCarthy's predecessor Nancy Pelosi.

China, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be united with the mainland, by force if necessary, had warned of countermeasures before the talks between Tsai and the third-highest-ranking US official.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry criticized Beijing's move, saying in a statement Friday it is "the fundamental right for our head of state" to conduct diplomatic activities and "China has no right to intervene," reported Kyodo News.

The ministry claimed China "overreacted" by imposing sanctions. "Such deceitful behaviour not only deepens Taiwan peoples' resentments but also exposes the irrational and absurd nature of the Communist regime," it added.

Coercion and suppression will "only strengthen the Taiwan government's belief in freedom and democracy," the ministry said.

Communist-led China and Taiwan have been separately governed since they split in 1949 due to a civil war.

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