China refutes U.S. comments on guidelines for punishing diehard Taiwan separatists

China on Tuesday refuted U.S. condemnation of its guidelines on imposing criminal punishments on diehard "Taiwan independence" separatists for conducting or inciting secession and expressed resolute opposition.

In response to U.S. Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller's comments on the guidelines by calling China's actions "escalatory and destabilizing," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing that it is a common practice for countries around the world to use criminal justice measures to punish criminals who conduct secession and "no external forces have the right to say anything about it."

Mao said that holding "Taiwan independence" separatists accountable for splitting the country and undermining national unity is an inevitable requirement for compliance with the law, a proper measure for safeguarding national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and a powerful guarantee for adherence to the one-China principle and for the maintenance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits.

Both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to the same China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, she added. This is the real status quo in the Taiwan Straits, said the spokesperson, adding that "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and disruption and sabotage by external forces are the greatest challenges to the current situation in the Taiwan Straits.

"If the U.S. side truly intends to safeguard regional peace and stability, it should abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, honor the commitment of not supporting 'Taiwan independence,' and stop sending any wrong signal to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces in any form," said Mao.

(Cover: A view of Taipei, China's Taiwan region. /CFP)