China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) has banned Chinese companies from cooperating with Sicuens International Co., Ltd., the company owned by DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) father, in order to punish Shen for being a “Taiwanese independence diehard.”
Taiwan Affairs Office Deputy Director and Spokesperson Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) said Thursday that Sicuens International will be prohibited from any transactions or cooperation with Chinese organizations, companies, and individuals for its affiliation with Shen, whom they deem a separatist.
This marks the third time Shen and his affiliates have been sanctioned by the TAO within the last year. Last October, he and Taiwanese businessman Robert Tsao (曹興誠) were barred from traveling to China, Hong Kong, and Macau. Businesses and enterprises linked to Shen and Tsao were also disallowed from doing business in China.
Per Shen, the move damages China’s own interests, as his father, Shen Tu-cheng (沈土城), primarily facilitates trade in Central and South America. Shen said he believes China is eager to sanction him and his family because he has promoted national security-related bills in Taiwan.