Focus Taiwan
Date: 07/01/2020
By: Yu Hsiang, Yeh Su-ping and Matthew Mazzetta

Taipei, July 1 (CNA) A senior official in Taiwan's governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Wednesday urged citizens to exercise caution when visiting Hong Kong, one day after China imposed a sweeping national security law on the territory that makes support for Hong Kong or Taiwan independence punishable by up to life imprisonment.

"I hope Taiwanese people traveling to Hong Kong will be mindful of their safety, because this is a law that affects not only Hong Kongers, but people in Taiwan and in countries around the world," DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) said at a party gathering Wednesday.

The new law, which China imposed late Tuesday, criminalizes four categories of offenses — separatism, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign countries — with maximum penalties of life imprisonment.

Because the law can be applied for "offenses" committed inside or outside the territory, and explicitly defines secession as anything undermining the territorial integrity of China, opponents of the law fear it could be used to prosecute anyone who has spoken in support of Taiwan independence.    [FULL  STORY]