Taiwan Issues a TRAVEL ADVISORY as China Flexes INDEPENDENCE

Taiwan TRAVEL ADVISORY

Following Beijing’s threat to carry out the execution of locals who support the island’s independence, the Taiwanese government issued a warning to its people on Thursday not to visit mainland China.

 

The warning was given at a regular news briefing by Liang Wen-chieh, a spokeswoman for Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council. A new strategy aimed at “separatists” was unveiled by the Chinese government last week, along with the announcement that “diehard” proponents of Taiwanese independence would face the death sentence.

 

“I want to emphasize that tyranny is the true evil; democracy is not a crime. China has no authority to impose sanctions on Taiwanese citizens based solely on their political beliefs. Furthermore, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Wednesday that China has no jurisdiction to pursue the rights of Taiwanese citizens internationally.

 

“I also want to call on China to face up to the existence of the Republic of China and have exchanges and dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected, legitimate government,” he added, referring to Taiwan as its official name. “If this is not done, relations between Taiwan and China will only become more and more estranged.”

China has always claimed Taiwan as its own, and in recent years, President Xi Jinping has made threats to annex the island. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office made it clear on Wednesday that the fear of death solely pertains to the “evil words and actions” of a select few Taiwanese independence “diehards.”

 

The action is the most recent escalation in Beijing and Taipei hostilities. China has also been practicing a lot militarily around the island in recent months. China has intimidated others with these exercises, usually in the wake of events involving Taiwan and the United States.

 

Following her visit to Taiwan in 2022, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, China, began conducting live-fire exercises. This historic visit was a turning point in U.S.-Taiwan relations since it was the first time a U.S. Speaker of the House had been to the island in more than 25 years. Pelosi’s visit was a daring declaration of US support for Taiwan, a democracy bastion in an authoritarian regime-dominated area.

 

However, this visit was not without repercussions. China reacted violently because it saw Taiwan as a colony that should split away and has always opposed formal international recognition of its government. The live-fire exercises were a premeditated display of power directed against Taiwan as well as the United States, not merely standard military training. In order to simulate a blockade and possible invasion, these exercises included missile launches, navy deployments, and air force operations intended to surround Taiwan.