This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Taiwanese workers employed in China-based multinational companies have had a warning from the Chinese Communist Party – you do not have to fear the new death penalty mandate, if you are not breaking the law.

China recently introduced new legal guidelines that will allow "die-hard" separatists to be executed, and according to the Telegraph, have been accepted as an intimidation tactic to put pressure on Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te, who China has labeled as a "dangerous separatist."

Taiwan and China have been locked in a power struggle for some time, with China attempting to claim dominion over the island nation and add it to its territory. However, Taiwan and its population have rejected this, and do not want to be unified with China.

Taiwan historically never has been part of China, and had indigenous people there as early as 3000 B.C. Modern day Taiwan is a leading high-tech nation, famous for its production of semiconductors used in a wide variety of electronics, including military grade weapons. As a result, Taiwan's economy is now known as "indispensable."

The new mandate, which came into effect early June, caused the Taiwanese government to raise its travel warning for China, while some companies are considering pulling Taiwanese employees out of China, according to the Telegraph.

A spokeswoman from China's Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhu Fenglian, said in a statement that Taiwanese employees do not need to be alarmed, unless they engage in criminal acts.

"The majority of Taiwan compatriots, including Taiwanese employees working in multinational companies, can be completely at ease in the mainland, as long as they do not engage in criminal acts," Zhu said.

However, the mandate only adds on to China's 2005 anti-secession law. The guidelines say Chinese courts, prosecutors, public and state security bodies should "severely punish Taiwan independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession crimes in accordance with the law," Xinhua news agency reported in late June. The mandates, however, bring up uncertainties around what a court would consider an offense.

Conversely, Chinese courts have no jurisdiction over Taiwan.

Tensions have been mounting for months, with China taking part in war games not long after Taiwan's president was inaugurated in January.

During an interview with Bloomberg in June, former President Donald Trump said Taiwan should be paying for defense from the U.S., noting Taiwan had taken much of America's computer chip business.

"Look, a couple of things. No. 1, Taiwan. I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100% of our chip business. I think Taiwan should pay us for defense. You know, we're no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn't give us anything. Taiwan is 9,500 miles away. It's 68 miles away from China. A slight advantage, and China's a massive piece of land, they could just bombard it. They don't even need to – I mean, they can literally just send shells. Now they don't want to do that because they don't want to lose all those chip plants," Trump told Bloomberg.

China has suspended negotiations on nuclear non-proliferation with the U.S. over its involvement with an arms deal with Taiwan. Al Jazeera reported July 18, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, said in a regular news conference the deal "seriously compromised the political atmosphere for continuing the arms-control consultations."

"Consequently, the Chinese side has decided to hold off discussion with the U.S. on a new round of consultations on arms control and non-proliferation," Lin Jian said during a news briefing in Beijing.

Taiwan has now kicked off anti-invasion military exercises this past week.