Tensions Between South and North Korea Likely to Continue for the Time Being
Major foreign media outlets reported on the 4th that foreign companies are considering withdrawing Taiwanese employees from China after China announced guidelines at the end of last month to impose the death penalty on 'Taiwan independence activists.'
Cheon Bin-hwa, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China. Photo by Yonhap News
The news agency, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that Taiwanese residents in China and multinational companies operating in China are assessing legal risks due to the new Chinese guidelines.
James Zimmerman, a lawyer at the international law firm Perkins Coie, told major foreign media, "Some companies are requesting risk assessments for employees of Taiwanese origin," expressing concerns over many unclear gray areas such as social media activities and supporting specific Taiwanese political parties.
According to the news agency, as of 2022, about 177,000 Taiwanese people are working in China.
Many multinational companies employ a large number of Taiwanese in China, considering their Chinese language skills and cultural affinity.
Two executives from foreign companies, who requested anonymity, revealed that they recently held internal meetings regarding employee safety, and another source said, "Taiwanese employees have been offered and accepted proposals to leave China."
A senior Chinese official working with Taiwanese investors, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that after the announcement of China's new guidelines, inquiries about the safety of Taiwanese investments in China flooded phone lines.
Furthermore, a multinational company that sends Taiwanese executives on business trips to China has not yet decided to stop sending them but is conducting daily risk assessments, according to major foreign media.
Wendy Sung, a fellow at the Global China Hub of the Atlantic Council, an international think tank, said, "These guidelines will force foreign companies to choose whether to continue employing Taiwanese in China or to stop hiring Taiwanese."
On the 21st of last month, China's Supreme People's Court, Supreme People's Procuratorate, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of State Security, and Ministry of Justice announced criminal punishment guidelines allowing the death penalty for 'staunch Taiwan independence activists' who attempt or incite separatism.
The Taiwanese government strongly criticized this measure and raised its travel alert on the 27th of last month, advising its citizens not to travel to China unless absolutely necessary.
In response, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, China's agency responsible for Taiwan affairs, attempted to ease tensions by stating that the majority of Taiwanese are not subject to these guidelines; however, tensions surrounding cross-strait relations have not subsided.
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