A Chinese mainland spokesperson Wednesday denounced Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority for its high-profile support for discriminatory and offensive comments on mainland students studying in Taiwan. 

The Taiwan authorities acted as the "protective umbrella" for "anti-mainland" forces in Taiwan society by defending such verbal attacks, said Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office. 

It is such acts and the connivance of the DPP authority that deteriorate cross-Strait education exchanges and the normal education environment for mainland students studying in Taiwan, Ma said. 

According to media reports, an associate professor at a university in Taiwan used the COVID-19 to attack and discriminate against mainland students in a class.

(With input from Xinhua)