A spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Wednesday slammed Shen Pao-yang, a die-hard "Taiwan independence" secessionist, for clamoring for "opposing and resisting the mainland" while colluding with relatives to pursue economic profits from the mainland.

Spokesperson Chen Binhua said at a regular press conference that the Chinese mainland would impose sanctions on a company used by Shen's father to continue business dealings with mainland enterprises and evade earlier penalties.

In June 2025, the office announced sanctions against Sicuens International Co., Ltd., a company led by Shen's father, Shen Tu-cheng, prohibiting it from making deals or cooperating with organizations, businesses and individuals on the mainland.

An investigation found that Shen Tu-cheng had continued trade and business cooperation with mainland companies under the name of another company, VWAY, to evade the sanctions and obtain economic benefits.

Calling Shen and his father's actions "despicable," Chen said the mainland would not allow companies associated with die-hard "Taiwan independence" secessionists to profit from the mainland.

Chen said VWAY would be barred from any dealings with mainland organizations, enterprises and individuals.

In October 2024, the office announced punishments against Shen and the Kuma Academy, an institution led by him.

Personal interests above political rhetoric

Zhou Wenxing, associate professor at the School of International Studies of Nanjing University, told CGTN that Shen Pao-yang has long‑branded himself with an "anti‑mainland" stance.

Should his family-owned enterprises continue to reap economic benefits from the mainland, the public would reasonably question how Shen and his family could rhetorically oppose the mainland while remaining financially attached to it.

"This points to a contradiction between their political posturing to decouple from the mainland and their economic reliance on it," Zhou said, adding that it also exposes the opportunism of certain Taiwan political figures who put personal interests above political rhetoric.

In June 2025, the Kuomintang publicly accused Shen of applying double standards on cross-Strait issues: while holding other politicians and residents to extremely strict standards regarding their exchanges with the Chinese mainland, he describes his father's enterprise's trade with the mainland as legitimate commercial activity.

Zhou said Shen's "anti-mainland" political image was being put to the test over the consistency between his words and deeds.

"For a politician who centers his agenda on mainland-related risks, political infiltration and cross-Strait security, the public will judge him and his family against the very standards he sets," Zhou said.

The deeper his family's business ties run, the more vulnerable his political credibility becomes, Zhou said.

The crux of the controversy lies not merely in how much profit a business has made, but in whether the politician applies the same standard to themselves as they do to others, Zhou added.