A U.S. think tank report says Beijing is ramping up pressure tactics against Taiwan independence figures ahead of November local elections, which is bad news for Taiwan's democratic process and for candidates seen as pro-independence.

• A joint report from the Institute for the Study of War and the American Enterprise Institute says China is escalating threats against so-called "stubborn independence separatists," expanding from targeting politicians directly to sanctioning their family members' businesses.
• Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen is the main target: China sanctioned a company owned by his father just weeks before the election, after pro-China media leaked the move first.
• Polls show Shen has closed a big gap with the sitting mayor since May, and the report suggests China's timing is meant to hurt his campaign.
• China is using similar family-pressure tactics against other officials, including an interior minister whose relative was fired from a job in China, and is also stepping up military and media pressure around Taiwan and the Philippines.

Outlook: Expect more Chinese economic and media pressure on Taiwanese political figures and their families as the November election approaches.