Taiwan Affairs Office: Lai Ching-te misinterprets Chinese mainland's principled position on Taiwan

A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Tuesday denounced Lai Ching-te, a politician from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in China's Taiwan region, for misinterpreting its principled position on the Taiwan question.

"The Taiwan question has always been the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations," said Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping elaborated on China's principled position during the China-U.S. summit in San Francisco last week, Chen noted, adding that China urges the United States to abide by the one-China principle, oppose "Taiwan independence," stop arming Taiwan and refrain from interfering in China's internal affairs. He also called on Washington to support China's peaceful reunification.

"Lai Ching-te and some others on the island have misinterpreted and hyped up media reports that claim the mainland has 'no plan to attack Taiwan' in the next few years. This is an attempt to dilute and deny the harm and danger of the activities of 'Taiwan independence' separatists," the spokesperson stressed.

Chen said the goal of Lai and others is to whitewash the activities of "troublemakers" and "war makers" who work for "Taiwan independence." He added that their objective is to create excuses for those causing provocations over "independence" and confusing public opinion to win votes.

"We hope that our compatriots in Taiwan will recognize that 'Taiwan independence' is incompatible with peace in the Taiwan Straits, firmly oppose 'Taiwan independence,' and bring cross-Straits relations back to the right track of peaceful development," said Chen.

(Cover: Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, speaks at a press conference in Beijing, China, October 11, 2023. /CFP)