Authorities in mainland China announced Wednesday that they had added eight entities from Taiwan to a list of entities subject to dual-use export controls, following recent “separatist” remarks by Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te regarding the island's independence. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement carried by the Xinhua News Agency that it had decided to ban the export of related materials to Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation, Geosat Space and Technology, Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology, GC Technology, CSBC Corporation Taiwan, Chung Shin Shipbuilding, Long Te Shipbuilding, and Kung Wei Corporation. Commenting on this announcement, Chen Bin Hua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China, said in a press statement that these entities had helped Lai Ching-te, who, since taking office in Taiwan, had insisted on his separatist stance and sought “Taiwan independence” by relying on foreign countries and military force. The Chinese spokesperson added that this move aims to defend China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, describing it as a “necessary measure” to maintain peace and stability across the strait, as well as a “stern warning” to the repeated provocations of separatist forces in Taiwan. He stressed that “Taiwan independence” is a dead end and that supporting it is “a deviation from the truth,” vowing to punish any company, institution, or individual involved in the crime of inciting secession in accordance with the law. China and Taiwan separated after a civil war in 1949, but Beijing considers the island part of its territory.