TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – China is warning Overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia not to attend Double Ten National Day ceremonies in Taiwan next month, or they might be refused entry to China in the future, reports said Saturday.

Over the past few months, Chinese bullying of Taiwan has intensified, with the communist country making demands on multinational corporations, in particular airlines and hotel chains, to stop referring to the island as a separate country on their websites.

On average, about 5,000 Overseas Chinese and Overseas Taiwanese would make the journey to Taiwan for the October 10 events, with 6,000 last year and a record 20,000 in 2011, the Liberty Times reported.

However, this year, China was trying to sabotage the government’s New Southbound Policy, which aims to intensify relations with 18 countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Australia and New Zealand.

Chinese embassies in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar reportedly contacted prominent travel agencies known for organizing Double Ten package tours to let them know that it would be difficult for those who participated in those Taiwan trips to obtain Chinese visas in the future.

According to the United Daily News, this was not the first time this happened in Thailand, though in the other countries, the tour operators said this was a new development. The Chinese government’s Taiwan Affairs Office reportedly denied any warnings against travel to Double Ten events had been issued.