China warns 'independence diehard' politicians of Taiwan

The Chinese government on Friday sent out a warning to 'diehard' Taiwan politicians saying such separatist elements are on the mainland's list and will be punished in accordance with the 'law'.

The remarks came from Zhu Fenglian, who is a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council in response to a media query regarding the punitive measures against stubborn secessionists, Xinhua reported.

"Those on the list, together with their relatives, shall not enter the mainland and the two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao, and their affiliated institutions shall be restricted from forging any cooperation with organizations and individuals on the mainland," Zhu was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

She also added that their sponsors of Taiwan independence and related enterprises shall be banned from engaging in profit-making activities on the mainland.

"Those who betray their motherland and seek to split the country are destined to have a bad end, and are bound to be spurned by the people and judged by history," Zhu said, referring to secessionists including Su Tseng-chang, Yu Shyi-Kun and Joseph Wu, Xinhua reported citing the spokesperson.

"Those on the list will be held to lifelong accountability and will be investigated for criminal liability in accordance with the law," she added.

This came as Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.

Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing.

China has also threatened that "Taiwan's independence" means war. On June 1, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to complete reunification with self-ruled Taiwan and vowed to smash any attempts at formal independence for the island.

( With inputs from ANI )

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