China refuses to deal with Taiwan's pro-independence government and has been pressing its diplomatic campaign to isolate the island.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Chinese government issued arrest warrants for 20 Taiwanese citizens on Thursday that it alleges carried out hacking operations on the Chinese mainland on behalf of the island's ruling party.
They also banned a Taiwanese company whose owners they described as "hardcore Taiwan independence supporters."
Chinese police in Guangzhou, a manufacturing hub in the south of the country, said the hacking group was led by a man named Ning Enwei. They alleged it acted under the direction of Taiwan's independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Authorities did not give any details about the alleged cyber activities or specify the charges against the individuals.
Meanwhile, China's government said all commercial contact had been stopped with the Sicuenes International Company Ltd., which it alleges is led by a member of the Taiwanese national legislature, Puma Shen, and his businessmen father.
Beijing calls both men die-hard independence supporters.
Websites mentioning the company say it specialises in sourcing bicycle parts from China.
Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Chinese government, 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."
The DPP has 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 inflation, cyberattacks, cognitive warfare and grey-zone threats, the CCP is by far the most serious perpetrator," said the DPP’s acting director of International Affairs, Michael Chen.
"What we are seeing now is a textbook example of the bully crying foul."
Taiwan is a self-ruling island which China sees as a breakaway province that must be united with the mainland, by force if necessary.
China regularly sends military aircraft and ships around Taiwan and currently has an aircraft carrier southeast of the island.
In response, Taiwan has bulked up its own military and some private individuals have opened training camps in guerrilla warfare.