Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

 
The Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Tuesday announced sanctions on "Taiwan independence" diehards on Chinese mainland's list, adding more political figures such as Bi-khim Hsiao and Koo Li-hsiung into the list of diehard separatists and imposed punitive measures on individuals such as Su Tseng-chang, You Si-kun and Joseph Wu. 
 
In order to safeguard the peaceful development of the cross-Straits relations and the immediate interests of the people on both sides of the Straits, and resolutely punish "Taiwan independence" diehard elements, the office included the political figures Bi-khim Hsiao, Koo Li-hsiung, Tsai Chi-chang, Ker Chien-ming, Lin Fei-fan, Chen Jiau-hua and Wang Ting-yu into the list of diehard "Taiwan independence" separatists. 
 
Also, the office imposed the punitive measures on political figures including Su Tseng-chang, You Si-kun and Jaushieh Joseph Wu, who had already been on the list, by banning them and their family members from entering the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao SARs. 
 
Their affiliated institutions are restricted from forging cooperation with relevant organizations and individuals on the mainland. The enterprises related to them, as well as their sponsors, are prohibited from engaging in profit-making activities on the mainland, the spokesperson of the office said. Other punitive measures will also be taken and those figures will be held to lifelong accountability according to law.
 
Hsiao Bi-khim, the island of Taiwan's representative to the US, was recently criticized by the central government's top office on Taiwan affairs due to her frequent spread of claims about "Taiwan independence," she has helped push US arms sales to the island and recently in advancing the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan - which is a serious provocation that betrays the US' commitment to China on the Taiwan question. 
 
Sanctions are also imposed on the president of the "Taiwan Foundation for Democracy," and the secretary general of the "International Cooperation and Development Fund." They are banned from entering the mainland, and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao, said the spokesperson.
 
You Si-kun is the chairman of the "Taiwan Foundation for Democracy." Jaushieh Joseph Wu is the chairman of the "International Cooperation and Development Fund."
 
The latest announcement came after China resolutely responded to the continuous provocation by the US on Taiwan question, mostly recently seen in sending another delegation of US lawmakers to the island just 12 days after Pelosi's visit, which seriously trampled on the one-China principle and sabotaged the fundamentals of the China-US relations. 
 
Actions seeking "Taiwan independence" constitute the biggest obstacle to China's reunification and a grave danger to the national rejuvenation, the spokesperson of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee said. Their activities became all the more egregious during the visit by Pelosi to China's Taiwan region, further exposing their obstinate nature in seeking "Taiwan independence."
 
The Chinese mainland will never tolerate any kind of activity aimed at splitting the country, will never allow any external force to interfere in its national reunification, and will leave no room for separatist activities seeking "Taiwan independence" in any form, said the spokesperson.
 
For the "diehard secessionists" and their funders on the sanction list, the mainland will take strict measures to bring them to justice in accordance with the Anti-Secession Law, the Criminal Law and the National Security Law, according to media reports.