They Spoke with One Voice: Being Sanctioned by the CCP Is a Great Honor

On September 8, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Foreign Ministry announced sanctions against Japanese lawmaker Seki Hei. The Japanese government lodged a strong protest, while Seki himself said that CCP sanctions were nothing but a farce. (Screenshot)

Born in Sichuan, China, and later naturalized as a Japanese citizen, Japanese House of Councillors member Seki Hei(Ishihira) was sanctioned by Beijing for his long-standing criticism of the CCP over issues such as Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong. The move triggered strong opposition from Tokyo, which condemned it as unacceptable suppression. Seki, however, posted on social media that being sanctioned by the CCP was a great honor—like receiving a medal. Last year, five Taiwanese commentators who were also sanctioned by the CCP expressed the same sentiment.

A Chinese-born Japanese Lawmaker Who Opposes the CCP

On September 8, the CCP Foreign Ministry announced sanctions against Seki, freezing any assets he might have in mainland China, and barring him and his family from receiving visas for mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. The official reasoning was that he had “seriously interfered in China’s internal affairs” and “seriously harmed China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Meanwhile, Baidu Baike, China’s largest online encyclopedia, changed his profile to label him a “traitor.”

The Japanese government immediately lodged a strong protest, calling it an attack on democracy and free speech. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that Beijing’s action was meant to “intimidate those with differing views” and was “absolutely unacceptable.” He stressed that lawmakers’ freedom of expression is the cornerstone of Japan’s democracy and demanded that Beijing withdraw its sanctions.

Seki himself responded on X (formerly Twitter) the same day, writing:
“I have no assets in China and no plans to go there. The CCP’s sanctions are nothing but a farce. Being sanctioned makes me feel extremely honored—like receiving a medal. I will not be cowed or back down because of this.”

He further stated that Beijing’s actions violated universal values and amounted to interference in Japan’s internal affairs.

Seki was born in Sichuan in 1962 and graduated from Peking University. Disillusioned with the CCP after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, he moved to Japan in the 1990s as a student and naturalized as a Japanese citizen in 2007. Over the years, he has published many works as a commentator and author, focusing on criticism of the CCP’s political system and foreign policy. He has frequently spoken in Japanese media on issues related to Taiwan, the Senkaku Islands, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.

In July 2025, Seki was elected to the House of Councillors as a candidate of the Japan Innovation Party, campaigning on a platform that included taking a tougher stance against Beijing. This is the first time the CCP has sanctioned a sitting Japanese lawmaker. The move has not only sparked diplomatic friction between Tokyo and Beijing but also highlighted Japan’s increasingly hardline China policy.

In the run-up to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Seki had called for Japan to boycott the Games, condemning the CCP’s human rights abuses and accusing Beijing of “continuing its repression of Uyghurs.” He also warned that if Xi Jinping secured a third term, the risk of Beijing launching a military attack on Taiwan would rise further.

It is no wonder the CCP despises him. Even though Beijing knows he has no assets in China, it still announced sanctions against him—simply to try to humiliate him. Yet in reality, every time such sanctions are reported, the international media is compelled to highlight the CCP’s authoritarianism and human rights abuses, leaving the CCP itself the one truly disgraced.

Taiwanese Commentators: Being Sanctioned by the CCP Is Like Receiving a Medal of Honor

In May 2024, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced sanctions on five well-known Taiwanese political commentators. Li Zhenghao, host of the talk show 94 Guest Room. (Screenshot)

Sanctioned Taiwanese Commentators: Anti-CCP Heroes with Honorary Medals

On May 15, 2024, CCP Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua named five Taiwanese commentators and their families as targets of sanctions: Huang Shih-tsung, Li Zhenghao, Wang Yichuan, Yu Beichen, and Liu Baojie. The CCP accused them of “stirring up cross-strait confrontation.” After receiving the news, all five declared that being sanctioned by the CCP was like receiving a badge of honor. In Taiwan, opposing the CCP is widely recognized and socially endorsed; those publicly criticized or sanctioned by Beijing are often regarded as anti-CCP heroes awarded with a symbolic medal of honor.

The first on the list, financial expert and media figure Huang Shih-tsung, wrote on Facebook: “As a media personality, being scolded or sued is common, but being put on a government sanctions list is a first.” On his program Critical Moments, he added: “We must have touched the CCP’s newest, most sensitive red line—it’s now forbidden to predict or report a downturn in China’s economy. To the CCP, this has become a matter of national security.”

The fifth, veteran TV host Liu Baojie, remarked: “China’s economy has become so fragile that you can’t even say anything negative about it anymore. It’s untouchable!”

Second on the list was Li Zhenghao, host of 94 Guest Room. On Facebook, he joked: “This feels like my ancestors are smiling down on me—it’s incredible good fortune!” He continued: “I realized that if Taiwan is the frontline in resisting the CCP from a strategic and geographic perspective, then Wang Yichuan, Yu Beichen, Liu Baojie, Huang Shih-tsung, and I are on the frontlines of the public opinion and cognitive warfare against the CCP. I will hold this line. Not one step back.”

Fourth on the list, Yu Beichen, a retired ROC major general and Taoyuan city councilor, wrote on Facebook: “Early this morning, I received the greatest badge of honor—the CCP’s so-called Taiwan Affairs Office finally put me on its blacklist! I thank the ‘enemy’ for this recognition. I will stand even more firmly in my opposition to the CCP and my love for Taiwan—forever!”

Third on the list, Wang Yichuan, then chief strategist at Taiwan Thinktank and a senior Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) official, pointed out that the CCP’s Taiwan Affairs Office was the real “destroyer of cross-strait harmony” and the true culprit in undermining relations between Taiwan and China.