TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan strongly protested China's blacklisting of two cabinet ministers as "Taiwan independence separatists" (台獨分裂分子) on Wednesday (Jan. 7), accusing Beijing of attempting to intimidate the island. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC, 陸委會), Taiwan's top China policy agency, issued the condemnation at noon after China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO, 國台辦) named Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) and Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) to its blacklist. The MAC accused China of attempting to create a chilling effect and assert jurisdiction over Taiwan.
TAO spokesperson Chen Bin-hua (陳斌華) announced Wednesday that Liu, Cheng, and Prosecutor Chen Shu-yi (陳舒怡) from the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office (台灣高等檢察署) have been designated as accomplices to the separatists. The MAC emphasized that the Republic of China (ROC, 中華民國) is a sovereign and independent nation**, asserting that** the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not subordinate to each other under Taiwan's constitutional framework.
The MAC noted that the individuals labeled as Taiwan independence separatists are public officials committed to defending the Republic of China and national security. The council stated that China aims to create a chilling effect through these designations**, targeting officials who uphold Taiwan's democratic system**. The MAC argued that China's attempts to assert jurisdiction over Taiwan by criminalizing individual cases remain ineffective.
The MAC stressed that threats and intimidation cannot shake the Taiwanese people's commitment to democracy and freedom**, adding that the** government remains resolute in defending national sovereignty, judicial sovereignty, and the welfare of its people. To date, China has identified 14 "Taiwan independence separatists" and 12 "accomplices," including former Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), former Legislative Yuan Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃), and former Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮). ◼