Xi Jinping-Led China Says Pro-Taiwan Independence 'Diehards' Must Be 'Severely Punished'

Xi Jinping-led China's Taiwan affairs office said the punishment of pro-Taiwan independence diehards and external forces was reasonable and lawful.

It added that "Taiwan independence" separatist words and deeds are blatant provocations," and people calling for Taiwan's independence "must be severely punished in accordance with the law."

"A very small number of 'Taiwan independence' diehards wantonly carry out "Taiwan independence" separatist activities. They are willing to be the pawns of external anti-China forces and deliberately create 'two Chinas'," China's Taiwan affairs office said in a release.

See Also: Nancy Pelosi To Reportedly Meet 3 Prominent Human Rights Activists, Including A Tiananmen Square Demonstrator, In Taiwan

"There is a clear legal basis for the state to pursue the criminal responsibility of Taiwan independence diehards," it added.

This came after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Taipei visit angered Xi's government and raised tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

"What Pelosi did was by no means defending and maintaining democracy, but provoking and infringing upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, China will kick off its largest-ever military exercises encircling Taiwan. President Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan faced "deliberately heightened military threats."

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