Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office Photo:VCG

The Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court of East China's Zhejiang Province, after a legal hearing, publicly sentenced Yang Chih-yuan to nine years in prison for the crime of separatism and deprived him of political rights for three years on August 26, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement on Friday, refuting the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' attempt to hype up Yang's case to smear the mainland's righteous actions against "Taiwan independence."

Yang, a Taiwan resident, was detained by the national security department of Wenzhou in August 2022 on suspicion of engaging in separatist activities and endangering national security, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

In recent days, Taiwan island's "mainland affairs council" claimed that Yang was "secretly sentenced" by the mainland and that his case "proves" the criminal punishment measures put forward by the mainland targets all Taiwan residents, urging "caution" regarding the necessity of traveling to the mainland, according to Taiwan media.

The court found that from 2008 to 2020, Yang, aiming to split the country and pursue "Taiwan independence," publicly promoted separatism through the so-called "Taiwanese National Party" and "Taiwan Action Party Alliance" among other "Taiwan independence" organizations, and actively implemented plans to promote "Taiwan independence" and join the United Nations, undermining national unity.

The court ruled that Yang's actions violated China's Criminal Law, constituting the crime of separatism. Yang's long-term involvement in separatist activities, his promotion of "Taiwan independence" ideas, and his role as a key figure in the "Taiwanese National Party" and other separatist organizations were deemed severe.

Since August 2022, the national security bureau in Wenzhou has taken coercive measures against Yang. National judicial authorities have handled the case strictly according to the law, ensuring Yang's legal rights, and disclosed the case according to law, Chen said.

The DPP authorities maliciously tarnished the national judicial authorities' righteous actions against "Taiwan independence," attempting to conflate the vast majority of Taiwan residents with a small number of stubborn "Taiwan independence" forces, Chen said.

The DPP authorities are trying to deceive, confuse, intimidate, and block Taiwan compatriots from participating in normal cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation, inciting cross-Straits confrontation.

Chen emphasized that the judicial documents on punishing "Taiwan independence" separatists target only a small number of diehard "Taiwan independence" activists and their acts of splitting the country and inciting separatism, not the public in Taiwan island.

From January to August this year, over 2.6 million people from Taiwan island came to the mainland for visits and exchanges, which exposes the lies and rumors spread by the DPP authorities, Chen said.

Global Times