On the evening of August 3, the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi had just left Taiwan, and the mainland immediately announced the arrest of Taiwanese Yang Zhiyuan, charging him with the crime of secession and inciting secession. On August 4, Yang Zhiyuan was transferred from detention to residential surveillance at a designated location. On August 5, the Wenzhou State Security Bureau notified Yang Zhiyuan’s family.
The outside world did not pay much attention to Yang Zhiyuan’s case. Even if they did, when they saw that he was transferred from detention to residential surveillance, they thought that the case would be “raised high and gently put down”, just to cooperate with the political propaganda of the “military exercise around Taiwan”. In fact, these speculations are completely misreading.
Yang Zhiyuan has a great background. The CCTV report fully disclosed his background. When Yang Zhiyuan was in middle school in 2006, he had already started to engage in separatist activities for Taiwan independence. Since 2008, Yang Zhiyuan has been active in the Wild Strawberry Student Movement. The president has become one of the important members of the Taiwan independence forces. In 2011, Yang Zhiyuan formed the “Taiwan National Party” to actively plan and implement a series of Taiwan independence activities to promote the so-called referendum to found the country. In 2019, he served as the vice chairman of the “Taiwan National Party” and the acting chairman of the party. High-profile implementation of the urgent independence line, trumpeting Taiwan independence field. In the same year, at the invitation of Chen Shui-bian, Yang Zhiyuan ran for the legislature of Yonghe District, New Taipei City on behalf of the “One Nation Action Party”. During the anti-amendment turmoil in Hong Kong in the same year, Yang Zhiyuan highly linked the separatist forces to stand for Hong Kong independence, inciting “multiple independence to merge”, and blatantly provoked national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
People familiar with the matter believe that the Yang Zhiyuan case has not received enough attention, and this case has actually shown that following Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the relationship between mainland and Taiwan has undergone essential changes. pursue. This event has 3 important implications:
1. This case is the first case in mainland China to crack down on Taiwan independence elements and incite separatist crimes, and the first shot was fired;
2. This case shows that the jurisdiction of the mainland is extended to the Taiwan region. In the past, except for serious crimes such as espionage or drug trafficking, the mainland rarely enforced the law once morest Taiwanese. According to the Mainland’s Anti-Secession Law and the National Security Law, the Mainland has every legal basis to enforce the law once morest Taiwanese. The Yang Zhiyuan case shows that the mainland is exercising relevant jurisdiction to fully hold accountable Taiwanese who violate the Anti-Secession Law and the National Security Law;
3. The Yang Zhiyuan case is only the first case, and there will be more cases in the future. Don’t think that this case is simply a response to the political propaganda of Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, a single incident. In fact, on the contrary, this is the beginning of the mainland’s accountability action, and continuous accountability will become the new normal.
Take a look at the white paper titled “The Taiwan Issue and China’s Unification in the New Era” released by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the State Council Information Office on August 10. This white paper is more than the two previously published white papers, especially in the legal basis. In addition to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 and other international legal documents, the introduction of domestic laws and provisions has been added, including the 1982 Constitution of the People’s Republic of China: “Taiwan is part of the sacred territory of the People’s Republic of China. Completing the great cause of reunification of the motherland is a It is the sacred duty of all Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots.” The Anti-Secession Law passed in March 2005 stipulates that “Taiwan is a part of China, and the state will never allow the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces to use any name and in any way. Separate Taiwan from China.” In July 2015, the National Security Law was passed, stipulating that “China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be violated or divided, and safeguarding national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity is the responsibility of the entire nation, including compatriots in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The common obligation of the Chinese people.”
The official WeChat account “Xia Ke Dao” under the “People’s Daily” pointed out that the 2022 version of the white paper will focus on “promoting reunification” and “anti-independence”, and the full text of the white paper “Taiwan independence” appeared 36 times. (In both the 1993 and 2000 white papers, the word “Taiwan independence” appeared only five times.) This shows how to attach importance to anti-Taiwan independence. The 2022 version of the white paper explicitly named and criticized the DPP four times, saying that the DPP’s “independence” behavior, squeezing and platform unification space, is an obstacle that must be removed. Listing the DPP as an “obstacle that must be removed” is the strongest criticism of the DPP.
To sum up briefly, the relationship between mainland and Taiwan has undergone a comprehensive and qualitative change. Even if the DPP is still in power in Taiwan, the mainland will not “give the face” at all. Active advocates of Taiwan independence, including the DPP, will attack the mainland in an all-round way. Its actions are to be investigated according to the law, especially the “Anti-Secession Law” and “National Security Law”, which will be fully covered by Taiwan. The Taiwan independence elements will face severe accountability actions from the state, and they have to act on their own.
To pursue Taiwan independence, like Hong Kong independence, will have to pay a serious price.
Lu Yongxiong
