China issues warrants for alleged Taiwanese hackers and bans a business for pro-independence links

TAIPEI, Taiwan — China issued warrants Thursday for 20 Taiwanese people it said carried out hacking missions in the Chinese mainland on behalf of the island's ruling party, while separately banning dealings with a Taiwanese company whose owners mainland authorities called ''hardcore Taiwan independence supporters.''

Police in the southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou said they were led by a man named Ning Enwei on behalf of Taiwan's independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party but did not identify their alleged crimes.

Meanwhile, China's government said all commercial contact had been banned with the Sicuens International Company Ltd., which it says are led by member of the national legislature Puma Shen and his businessman father, calling the two men die-hard independence supporters.

Websites mentioning Sicuens say it specializes in sourcing bicycle parts from China.

Shen is also the head of the Kuma Academy, an organization that encourages Taiwanese people to prepare for possible invasion.

The DPP swiftly dismissed China's accusations.

''This is clearly a case of the Chinese Communist Party fabricating a pretext to stir up trouble. When it comes to infiltration, cyberattacks, cognitive warfare and gray-zone threats, the CCP is by far the most serious perpetrator,'' said Michael Chen, the DPP's acting director of International Affairs. Gray-zone warfare refers to offensive tactics short of open combat.

"What we are seeing now is a textbook example of the bully crying foul," Chen said.

China considers Taiwan its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the China's Cabinet, said Sicuens ''engages in trade and business cooperation with certain mainland enterprises in pursuit of economic benefits.''

''The mainland side will never allow enterprises related to die-hard ‘Taiwan independence' supporters to seek profits in the mainland,'' Zhu was quoted as saying.

China last year announced punishments on Shen and the Kuma Academy, saying Shen had been ''actively and systematically organizing activities promoting Taiwan independence.''

The Academy's website says it ''aims to prepare a prewar mentality for civilians, our mission is to cultivate self-defense capability and will to defend Taiwan. We provide knowledge and skills to help people sustain themselves and recognize enemy disinformation operations in both peace and wartime situations.''

Taiwan has responded by bulking up its own military, while some private individuals have opened camps for training in guerilla warfare.

In a recorded statement, Puma Shen said China would be harming its own manufacturers if it sought to block Sicuens from exporting their products.

"So, I have to say that China is purely manipulating ideologies. It is sacrificing its own people's interests to punish a parliamentarian from another country and his family. I think there is only China that could so such a stupid thing,'' Shen said.