MAC slams China's labeling of ministers as 'independence advocates'

Taipei, Jan. 7 (CNA) China's move to designate two Taiwan government ministers as "diehard Taiwan independence advocates" undermines cross-strait peace and the status quo, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Wednesday.

In a news release, the MAC, Taiwan's top agency for cross-strait affairs, said it is an "objective reality that the Republic of China (R.O.C., Taiwan's official name) is a sovereign, independent country and that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not subordinate to each other."

China's actions to undermine cross-strait peace and status quo "not only fail to achieve a deterrent effect, but also provoke indignation and resentment among the Taiwanese people," the statement said.

The MAC was responding after Chen Binhua (陳斌華), a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), said Wednesday that it had designated Taiwan Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) and Education Minister Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) as "diehard Taiwan independence advocates," and would pursue punitive measures against them.

The TAO accused Liu specifically of "persecuting" Chinese spouses in Taiwan -- referring to the cancellation of residency permits for several Chinese spouses who advocated for armed unification online -- and creating obstacles to cross-strait exchanges.

Cheng, meanwhile, was sanctioned for compiling "Taiwan independence teaching materials" and preventing cross-strait educational exchanges, the TAO said.

With the designation, both Liu and Cheng will be banned from entering China, Hong Kong and Macau, while entities affiliated with them will be prohibited from operating or doing business in China, Chen said.

A third individual -- Taiwan High Prosecutors Office prosecutor Chen Shu-yi (陳舒怡) -- was also placed on a list of "Taiwan independence henchmen and accomplices," for "fabricating charges" and "persecuting" Taiwanese who support or participate in cross-strait exchanges, Chen Binhua said.

According to Chen Binhua, Beijing has to date labeled 14 people as "diehard Taiwan independence advocates" and 12 people as "Taiwan independence henchmen and accomplices."

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Liu said her "stance on safeguarding national sovereignty and [Taiwan's] democratic and free way of life remains unchanged," and that she would "continue to protect Taiwan."