China 'has no right to punish' Taiwan, President Lai says

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te said on Monday China "has no right to punish" Taiwanese people for their views after China threatened some supporters of Taiwanese independence with the death penalty.

Lai's statement came after Beijing introduced new judicial guidelines on Friday that included the death penalty for some "diehard" separatists supporting Taiwanese independence, according to Chinese state media.

Reacting to the latest development, Lai asserted that "democracy is not a crime; autocracy is the real evil."

 "China has no right to punish the people of Taiwan just because of what they advocate. China has no right to pursue cross-border prosecution of Taiwanese people,"  he said.

The Taiwanese president warned of deteriorating relations between the two sides unless China accepts "the existence of the Republic of China," using Taiwan's official name. He also asked Beijing to "conduct exchanges and dialogues" with Taiwan's democratically-elected government, calling it the right way to "enhance the well-being of people on both sides."

China conducts drills around Taiwan

There has been a significant increase in Chinese military flights since Thursday, according to Taipei, as Beijing conducted a "joint combat readiness patrol" near the island.

From Thursday to Sunday, Taiwan reported detecting 115 Chinese military aircraft in the vicinity, with some coming as close as 31 nautical miles (57 kilometers) from the island's southern tip.

China considers democratically-run Taiwan as a part of its territory and has maintained that the use of force to bring the island under its control is not off the table.

Despite Lai's attempts at dialogue, China has maintained a strong military presence around Taiwan and dismissed his calls for talks.

In the past, Beijing has called Lai a "dangerous separatist" who will bring "war and decline" to the region. The Chinese military has increased its activities near Taiwan since Lai's election win in January.

ss/ab (AFP, Reuters)