Taiwan affairs authority calls on people in Taiwan to make right choice

Taiwan affairs authority on the Chinese mainland on Friday called on people in Taiwan to make the right choice between peace and war after Taiwan's opposition parties failed to agree on a joint candidate for the 2024 regional leader election against the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

Hou Yu-ih and Ko Wen-je on Friday registered separately as candidates for the island's main opposition, Kuomintang and the smaller Taiwan People's Party, meaning the end of the attempted cooperation between the two parties in the leadership election in January.

Chen Binhua, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in a statement that the mainland respected the current social system in Taiwan and hoped that the election results next year would help to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and promote the return of cross-Strait relations to the track of peaceful development.

"Peace, development, exchange, and cooperation are the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan," he said.

Stressing that currently, Taiwan is facing a choice between peace and war, prosperity and decline, Chen said that it's hoped that the majority of compatriots in Taiwan will uphold the national righteousness, adhere to the "1992 Consensus", and oppose "Taiwan independence".

He called on people in Taiwan to make the right choice at this critical moment, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the promotion of peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

Taiwan's deputy head William Lai Ching-te of the DPP had earlier named Hsiao Bi-khim, the island's representative in the United States, as his running mate in the January election.