Mainland denounces Taiwan criticism on Lee's sentencing

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A spokesman of the Chinese mainland commented on criticisms from Taiwan on Wednesday, saying any attempt to use the trial and sentencing of Taiwanese Lee Ming-che for "political hype" would fail.

Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said the result was "totally unacceptable" and called for Beijing to return Lee to Taiwan. The sentencing of Lee had "harmed cross-Strait ties," they said.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, stressed that the conviction and sentence of Lee was based on clear facts and sufficient evidence.

"It was the groundless attacks on the mainland by some people in Taiwan that have seriously harmed cross-Strait relations," Ma said at a press conference.

Lee was sentenced to five years in prison for "subverting state power," by the Intermediate People's Court of Yueyang City in Hunan Province Tuesday. He was tried along with a mainland resident Peng Yuhua, who was sentenced to seven years for the same charge. Both of them were deprived of political rights for two years, and said they would not appeal.

Lee Ming-che and Peng Yuhua at the court /Photo from Weibo account of Yueyang Intermediate People's Court

Ma said due process had been observed and the two people's rights and interests had been fully protected during the investigation and trial proceedings.

He said Lee's family, accompanied by some people from the island, had traveled to the mainland and had been present at the court ruling in Yueyang.

Ma noted that "mutual respect to each other's development path and social system was the bottom-line for cross-Strait relations."

"We respect the current system and lifestyle of our Taiwan compatriots, but that does not mean the Taiwan side can impose its own political ideas on the mainland," he said. "It does not mean that some people from Taiwan can arbitrarily violate the law of the mainland under the pretext of 'democracy and freedom,' either."

Source(s): Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency