Taiwan deputy leader slammed

A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Saturday slammed Lai Ching-te, deputy leader of China's Taiwan region, for his "pro-independence" comments during a television debate featuring Taiwan regional leader candidates, which the spokesperson said once again exposed Lai's true nature as a peace disruptor across the Strait.

During the debate on Saturday, Lai, the candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party, claimed "Taiwan's sovereign independence", distorting the 1992 Consensus, and insisted that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are "not subordinate to each other". He also asserted that the people of Taiwan should "unite against the threat from China".

Chen Binhua, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in a statement that Lai is propagating fallacies of "Taiwan independence" and peddling the notion of "two nations", criticizing the candidate for smearing the mainland and advocating "Taiwan independence" through force.

"His words are filled with confrontational thinking, once again revealing his true identity as a stubborn advocate of 'Taiwan independence', peace disruptor across the Strait, and instigator of potential war in the Taiwan Strait," he said.

Chen said that since coming to power in 2016, the DPP authorities have refused to acknowledge the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, instead pursuing a "Taiwanese independence" path. They willfully disrupted the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, forcefully obstructed cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, and continuously escalated tension in the Taiwan Strait.

These actions are "the primary source of danger, pushing Taiwan toward the brink of war, the main culprit severely obstructing cross-Strait exchanges and causing significant harm to the genuine interests of the vast Taiwan compatriots", the official emphasized.

Chen said that as a prominent figure as well as the current head of the DPP, Lai cannot dodge responsibility for these actions.

The spokesperson warned Lai that "Taiwan independence" is incompatible with peace in the Taiwan Strait.

"We strongly and resolutely oppose any attempts to split Taiwan from China, possess an unwavering capability to thwart 'Taiwan independence' actions, and maintain a steadfast determination to resolve the Taiwan question and achieve national reunification," he said.

Chen stressed that there is only one China in the world, and both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China, and China's sovereignty and territorial integrity have never been divisible and will never be separated, which is the actual status quo of the Taiwan Strait.

He said that as long as the 1992 Consensus is upheld and "Taiwan independence" is opposed, cross-Strait relations can return to the path of peaceful development, negotiations can be resumed, cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation can proceed smoothly, and the people on both sides of the Strait, especially Taiwan compatriots, can enjoy peaceful, secure and prosperous lives.

The spokesperson expressed the hope that the majority of Taiwan compatriots would recognize the extreme harm of "Taiwan independence" and the danger of Lai disrupting peace in the Taiwan Strait and instigating cross-Strait confrontation.

He hoped the people in Taiwan would make the correct choices between "peace and war" as well as "prosperity and recession", promoting cross-Strait relations back toward peaceful development.