Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen set to join Beijing black list

China is set to compile a list of “stubborn elements of Taiwanese independence” that could include the island’s president.

Tsai Ing-wen has refused to acknowledge Beijing’s ‘One China” policy. Picture: AFP

China is set to compile a list of “stubborn elements of Taiwanese independence” that could include the island’s President, according to pro-Beijing media.

President Tsai Ing-wen could be labelled as a “secessionist” under the plans, according to Chinese experts.

Citing anonymous sources, Ta Kung Pao, a pro-China newspaper in Hong Kong, reported that Beijing is planning to blacklist those who openly support Taiwan independence, do anything to further its cause or finance such efforts.

Those on the blacklist would be subject to legal penalties, including life imprisonment, under China’s anti-secession law, the newspaper reported.

Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and vows to seize the island, by force if necessary, to achieve national unification.

Although China cannot enforce its laws in Taiwan, sabre-rattling by Beijing in recent years has indicated that it plans to assert its sovereignty over the island, which maintains its independence.

The newspaper said that the move was designed to hold Taiwan’s secessionists accountable for the rest of their lives, meaning those on the blacklist could be prosecuted should Beijing ever seize control. The cross-strait relationship deteriorated in 2016 after Ms Tsai was elected. She has refused to acknowledge Beijing’s “One China” policy.

Li Fei, a professor with the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University, told The Global Times, a party-run newspaper, that the list would send a stern warning that Beijing has zero tolerance over Taiwan independence.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council criticised the move as sowing division across the Taiwan Strait.

The Times