China Threatens Death Penalty for ‘Stubborn Taiwanese Separatists’, Multinationals Reassess Risks

Amid China’s announcement last month that it would impose the death penalty on Taiwanese independence activists, it has been revealed that foreign companies are considering withdrawing their Taiwanese employees from China.

Reuters reported on the 4th that Taiwanese residents in China and multinational corporations doing business in China have begun to assess legal risks due to China’s new directive.

As of 2022, about 177,000 Taiwanese are working in China. Multinational companies conducting business in China often employ Taiwanese for their Chinese language skills and cultural homogeneity.

Reuters reported that executives from two foreign companies recently conducted internal meetings focused on employee safety. According to media sources, a multinational company known for sending Taiwanese executives to China for business trips is now performing daily risk assessments.

Previously, the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of State Security, and the Ministry of Justice announced a criminal punishment guideline last month that allows for the death penalty in extreme cases for “diehard” Taiwan independence separatists.

The Taiwanese government strongly criticized this measure and raised travel warnings last Thursday, advising its citizens not to travel to China unless necessary.