May 18, 2023
BEIJING – The Democratic Progressive Party has spent Taiwan taxpayers’ money to pay for politicians to go to the island and “seek independence dependent on foreign forces”, which cannot change the fact Taiwan is part of China, a mainland spokesman said on Wednesday.
Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said this while commenting on former British Prime Minister Liz Truss’s visit to Taiwan.
No matter how much money the DPP spends or how many twists and turns they make, they cannot change the fact Taiwan is part of China nor shake the one-China pattern.
Ma Xiaoguang, Spokesman, Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council
Taiwan media reported that Truss was invited by Taiwan’s Prospect Foundation, which has attempted to recruit foreign forces for this purpose, Ma said, adding that the foundation has been placed under punitive measures by the mainland.
“No matter how much money the DPP spends or how many twists and turns they make, they cannot change the fact Taiwan is part of China nor shake the one-China pattern,” he said.
Truss’s visit to Taiwan is a provocative move causing strong indignation among the Chinese people, a statement issued by China’s embassy in the UK earlier Wednesday morning said.
Truss’s act will harm the UK and will be firmly rejected by people with conscience from all walks of life, it said.
The one-China principle is the political foundation and important prerequisite for the establishment and development of diplomatic relations between China and the UK, the document read, also stating any responsible politician should abide by the one-China principle instead of manipulating state-to-state relations for political gain.
“Taiwan independence” activities and support from foreign forces are the greatest threat to peace across the Taiwan Strait, the embassy said, adding Truss and the like are colluding with secessionist forces to provoke confrontation and escalate tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
The Taiwan question is at the core of China’s core interests. Any violation of the one-China principle will have serious consequences for China-UK relations, it said, urging Truss to stop making political shows out of the Taiwan question.
Wang Wenbin, spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said on Wednesday afternoon China’s position on the Taiwan question is consistent and clear.
Wang said he also noticed there has been a flurry of criticism in the UK about Truss’s move, calling the trip showmanship and a disservice to her country.
‘Biggest threat’
The DPP’s provocation of “Taiwan independence” is the biggest threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and to the security and well-being of Taiwan compatriots, Ma said while refuting recent claims made by Lai Ching-te, a senior DPP official.
Lai had said that the biggest challenge Taiwan faces is the “threat of force” from the mainland, and that accepting the 1992 Consensus and the One-China principle is tantamount to giving up the “sovereignty of Taiwan”, which will not bring sustainable peace.
Lai’s words disregarded facts and are illogical, once again exposing the absurdity of the “Taiwan independence” argument, said the spokesman.
Taiwan is a part of China and has never been a country, nor has so-called “sovereignty”, he said.
The 1992 Consensus, which embodies the One-China principle, is the political foundation for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, he added, and denying this basis and attempting to change the status quo that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to the same China will only undermine peace across the Taiwan Strait and plunge cross-Strait relations into turmoil.
Lai had also claimed that Taiwan should enhance its “self-defense force”, cooperate with the “world democratic camp”, and “avoid war and achieve peace by preparing for war”.
Ma said that Lai’s statement further confirms that the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and their provocations pose the greatest threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
“If they do not mean for provocation, then why do they ‘prepare for war’? The best way to ‘avoid a war’ is to abandon the ‘Taiwan independence’ position and take the path of peaceful development,” he said.
He said that the acts of Taiwan being emboldened by external forces to create confrontation across the Strait, and even to act as pawns for foreigners against China, will only bring the island closer to disaster.
Resuming cross-Strait negotiations based on adherence to the 1992 Consensus and opposing “Taiwan independence” is not an illusion, but a practical and feasible path, he said while commenting on the DPP’s opposition to the suggestion made by Terry Guo, founder and chairman of Foxconn, to reopen negotiations with the mainland on the basis of “one China, different interpretations”.
The mainstream public opinion on the island is for peace rather than war, development rather than recession, and exchange and cooperation rather than isolation, Ma said, adding that upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing “Taiwan independence” is the political foundation for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and the key to peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.
“On this basis, we are ready to work with people from all walks of life on the island and Taiwan compatriots to promote peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and safeguard peace and stability across the Strait,” he said.
The authorities of the DPP stubbornly adhere to the position of “Taiwan independence”, constantly seek to make provocations and even hope to succeed, which is a fantasy, he added.