China makes list on Taiwan independence backers

Bloomberg

China confirmed it’s compiling a global watch list of Taiwanese independence backers it plans to “punish,” marking an escalation in Beijing’s pursuit of its critics.
“The list is only targeting the extremely few stubborn Taiwan independence activists and their funders, not targeting the majority of Taiwan compatriots,” Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a briefing. She didn’t provide details on the size of the list or specific names of people identified. The targets include “those who make arrogant remarks and conduct malicious actions to seek independence, and the leaders who organise, plan, and implement secession activities both inside and outside the Taiwan island, as well as their main funders and supporters.”
Reports of the move earlier this month sparked worries among Taiwanese and Hong Kong activists. Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed newspaper Ta Kung Pao had reported that China was collecting the names of prominent advocates of Taiwanese independence, and that the watch list could include activists on the democratic island and abroad as well as those who helped fund such activities.