DPP's separatist stance to face intl setbacks, mainland warns

The Democratic Progressive Party's stubborn separatist stance will only encounter setbacks in the international community, a Chinese mainland spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Commenting on recent international responses to the DPP's pursuit of "Taiwan independence", Zhang Han, a spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a regular news conference that facts have repeatedly shown the one-China principle is a basic norm governing international relations and a prevailing consensus of the international community.

Papua New Guinea's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said in a Facebook post on Thursday that the country reaffirms its one-China policy and will close the "Chinese Taipei economic office" in Papua New Guinea.

Zhang said the Chinese mainland highly appreciated the Papua New Guinea government's decision.

"Upholding the one-China principle is both the right course of action and the trend of the times," she said, adding that the DPP authorities' stubborn adherence to their separatist "Taiwan independence" stance goes against the tide of history and will only continue to encounter setbacks in the international community.

On Friday, Taiwan's external affairs department announced that it would suspend visa facilitation measures for Cambodian nationals starting on Aug 1 after Cambodia reaffirmed its adherence to the one-China principle.

In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia said the country regards Taiwan as a province of China and will not change its position on the one-China principle.

Zhang stressed that "there is but one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory". She said the Cambodian government's firm position conforms to the trend of history and reflects the will of its people.

She criticized the DPP authorities for attempting to coerce relevant countries into providing space for "Taiwan independence", calling the move "an overestimation of their own capabilities and a serious miscalculation".

"Such despicable tactics are doomed to fail," Zhang said.