TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – China has announced a series of measures targeting what it calls “Taiwan separatism and independence,” reports said Friday (June 21).

At the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) in Beijing, representatives of judiciary and public security bodies presented an “opinion” about what they termed actions promoting separatism.

Suspects could be tried in absentia and sentenced to punishments that include death, per CNA. Experts said the measures are intended to threaten critics and expand China’s jurisdiction over Taiwan, with aims that are more political than judicial.

Actions or thinking targeted by the Chinese include the denial of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is part of China, as well as the promotion of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, and conducting foreign relations, CNA reported. Chinese officials named the organizer of referendums on Taiwan’s status as a violation of anti-separatism laws.

The new measures also include a raft of sanctions such as detention, prison terms from under three years to life, the death penalty, and confiscation of possessions, depending on how strong the alleged suspect’s support for the independence cause is judged to be.

Taiwan Thinktank expert Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) questioned whether a trial in absentia would be transparent and respect the rights of the defendant. He cautioned that despite being described as an “opinion,” the measures are more than just advice and could be enforced under Chinese law.

Beijing is likely to take action in the near future to prove that it is serious about the new measures, said Institute for National Policy Research (INPR) Director Wang Hung-jen (王宏仁). He expects China to publish a watch list of prominent Taiwan independence supporters, as it has done in the past.

Following the May 20 inauguration of President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), China has taken a hardline stance against the new government. Within days of Lai’s swearing-in, it launched massive military drills surrounding Taiwan.