China included the death penalty for "particularly serious" cases among judicial guidelines on criminal punishments for "diehard" supporters of Taiwanese independence published on June 21, state media reported. Beijing views democratic Taiwan as part of its own territory and has refused to renounce using force to unify with the self-ruled island one day. State news agency Xinhua said on Friday Beijing had released a notice about punishing "Taiwan independence' diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession". Taipei hit back swiftly, saying Beijing "has no legal jurisdiction at all over Taiwan" and that the rules "had no binding force on our people". Also Read | China Embassy says no such thing as ‘president’ of Taiwan regionThe rules take effect in China from Friday, Xinhua said.

Source: The Hindu June 22, 2024 17:08 UTC