Photo: gwytb.gov.cn

The special columns listing diehard “Taiwan independence” secessionists have been added to the websites of two Chinese mainland departments, which aims to eliminate the “black sheep” that undermine cross-Straits relations and fundamentally maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said on Thursday after the columns drew public attention from the island of Taiwan and was distorted and smeared by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities. 

Both the Taiwan Affairs Office and China’s Ministry of Public Security have simultaneously added a special column to their official websites which list the names of diehard “Taiwan independence” secessionists and include an email address for reporting clues about these secessionists and other new secessionists. This has attracted public attention from the island of Taiwan. 

The DPP authorities have distorted and vilified the move, claiming that the mainland authorities’ action creates more obstacles and does harm to cross-Straits exchanges and interactions, hinders communication between the people from both sides, and does not promote positive cross-Straits exchanges. 

In response to that, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office, said during a press briefing on Thursday that Taiwan is part of China and the nation shall never allow the “Taiwan independence” secessionists to separate the island from China under any name or by any means. 

Punishing diehard “Taiwan independence” separatists for their crimes of secession and incitement to secession in accordance with the law is an essential part of safeguarding national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and a just act that protects the common interests of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation. 

According to Zhu, the people from both sides of the Straits highly support the measures for lawfully punishing “Taiwan independence” secessionist activities, believing that these targeted measures against diehard “Taiwan independence” separatists are effective. 

They also fully understand that the laws target only a small number of stubborn individuals involved in malicious “Taiwan independence” activities and their crimes of secession and incitement to secession, and do not target the majority of Taiwan compatriots.  

The DPP authorities deliberately conflate the vast majority of Taiwan compatriots with a small number of "Taiwan independence" diehards, attempting to use innocent people as a shield for "Taiwan independence" and to obstruct cross-Straits exchanges by smearing the mainland, Zhu said, adding that this only indicates their bluster and weakness, and their distortion of the truth, which is entirely futile. 

Zhu noted that the goal of eliminating the “black sheep” that damage cross-Straits relations is to fundamentally maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and ensure the safety and well-being of the vast majority of Taiwan compatriots.

Zhu said an increasing number of Taiwan compatriots have seen through the sinister intentions and deceitful tactics of the DPP authorities. They have shown a strong desire to engage in cross-Straits exchanges and participate in and support the development of cross-Straits relations. 

Statistics show that from January to June this year, there were nearly 2.1 million cross-Straits visits, up 99.5 percent year-on-year. Among them, nearly 1.92 million visits were made by Taiwan compatriots, a 103.2 percent increase compared to the previous year, indicating that the trend of cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation would not be swayed by the lies and deceit of the DPP authorities and the “Taiwan independence” forces, Zhu said. 

We hope that the vast majority of Taiwan compatriots will grasp the historical trend, uphold national interests, clearly distance themselves from the “Taiwan independence” diehards, actively engage in cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation, and jointly safeguard the shared homeland of the Chinese nation, Zhu added. 

Global Times