BEIJING • China confirmed it is compiling a global watch list of Taiwanese independence backers it plans to "punish", marking an escalation in Beijing's pursuit of its critics.

"The list is only targeting the extremely few stubborn Taiwan independence activists and their funders, not targeting the majority of Taiwan compatriots," said Ms Zhu Fenglian, a spokesman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, at a briefing yesterday.

She did not provide details on the size of the list or specific names of people identified.

Reports of the move earlier this month sparked worries among Taiwanese and Hong Kong activists.

Hong Kong's Beijing-backed newspaper Ta Kung Pao had reported that China was collecting the names of prominent advocates of Taiwanese independence, and that the watch list could include activists on the island and abroad, as well as those who helped fund such activities.

A list of Taiwanese people who support independence could theoretically include millions of names - government surveys show that about one-quarter of the island's roughly 23 million inhabitants back a legal separation at some point.

Earlier this month, Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang was named as one prominent example in an editorial published by China's state-backed Global Times. Mr Su has said he would "guard the country and protect people without giving in to military force".

"Su, as a premier, said things he should say," Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen told a media briefing yesterday. "China's comments are not good, and it's not beneficial for cross-strait ties."

BLOOMBERG