The Chinese mainland government has strongly condemned Taiwanese President Lai Qing-te's new speech, describing it as an openly separatist "manifesto for independence". Beijing says Lai is deliberately stoking tensions and lying about history.
Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the PRC State Council, accused Lai of having his so-called. "10 Manifestations of Unity" are in fact a tool of division, manipulation of public opinion and an attempt to suppress the opposition under the pretext of the "Great Recall".
According to Zhu, the speech again made the claim that Taiwan and the mainland are not subordinate to each other - which Beijing sees as a direct provocation and challenging the one-China principle. Lai also allegedly denigrates cross-border cooperation and labels peace initiatives as threats.
"It is a political game full of lies that is harmful to the stability and interests of the people on both sides of the Strait," Zhu said, urging the public to see through the "hypocrisy and deception" of the separatist forces.
According to the official position of the PRC, there is only one China and Taiwan is an integral part of it. The spokesperson stressed that only the peaceful development of relations and efforts for complete unification can ensure lasting peace in the Taiwan Strait region.
Beijing thus continues to speak out strongly against any form of independence while calling for "national reunification" as the historical mission of the Chinese people.
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