Lai Ching-te, leader of the Taiwan region, has once again advocated separatism. In response, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office warned that those who "play with fire were bound to get burned." Lai is aggressively pushing for decoupling across the Straits while calling the mainland a "threat." He is also suppressing political dissent on the island and under the guise of "freedom" and "democracy," colluding with external forces to serve his own interests at the expense of Taiwan. These actions will inevitably come at a heavy cost.

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