Taiwan rebukes China for 'diehard separatists' tip-off claims

Taipei, Oct. 17 (CNA) Taiwan called on Beijing to "turn back before it's too late" following an announcement on Wednesday by China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) that it has received hundreds of "tip-offs" for "diehard Taiwan independence separatists."

"No matter how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) investigates, wrong actions will only lead to wrong outcomes," Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), the top government agency handling cross-strait affairs from the Taiwanese side, said on Wednesday evening.

"We urge the CCP to turn back before it's too late and promote positive cross-strait interactions as the right approach," it added.

The MAC statement was in response to remarks made earlier the same day by Chen Binhua (陳斌華), a spokesperson for TAO, China's government agency that handles cross-strait affairs from its side.

Chen said that after establishing a mailbox for reporting "diehard Taiwan independence separatists," the agency had received "hundreds of tip-offs" from people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The TAO spokesperson added that Chinese government agencies will "seriously verify and investigate" those reports.

Chen was referring to a page on TAO's official website that currently lists 12 "diehard Taiwan independence separatists."

These include Taiwan's current Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) -- the highest-ranking member of the Taiwanese government on the list -- as well as Taiwanese businessman Robert Tsao (曹興誠) and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋).

Regarding the addition on Oct. 14 of Tsao and Shen's names to the public list, Chen said that "punishing" those individuals was "an act of justice" that can "defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity and protect the vital interests of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait."

In response, the MAC said in its statement that the "Taiwan independence list" is meaningless no matter how many names are added.