Taiwan, not mainland, the cause of cross-Straits tension, spokesman says

The Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan is constantly promoting "Taiwan independence", which is the root cause of undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, a Chinese mainland spokesman said.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said on Thursday that Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen and the DPP authorities are "stubbornly" supporting "Taiwan independence" under the pretext of so-called democracy and freedom. They are deceiving international public opinion and relying on the United States for assistance.

Ma made the remarks in response to Tsai's recent interview with CNN in which she claimed the island has received growing threats from the Chinese mainland. She also acknowledged the presence of US troops on the island.

Ma said Tsai taking the interview with CNN has exposed her stubborn insistence on "Taiwan independence".

"Since taking office, the DPP authorities have been incompetent in governance and people's livelihoods are in disarray. But they have been obsessed with creating conflict, clamping down on speech, deceiving people, dividing Taiwan society and frantically suppressing dissidents," he said.

Their acts of promoting "de-Sinicization" and "Taiwan independence" forcibly sever the flesh and blood ties between the people of Taiwan and the Chinese nation, greatly harming the fundamental interests of compatriots in Taiwan, he said.

"How dare they talk about 'democracy and freedom' when they are using all kinds of political manipulation to achieve their political goals?" he added.

By "rejecting unification with arms" and "relying on the US for independence", they are taking the hard-earned money of the Taiwan people to buy weapons, which will only bring damage to the interests of the people and bring military disaster to the island, he said, adding the Chinese mainland has "zero tolerance" for "Taiwan independence" and will fight against separation at all costs.

Ma also urged governments and media to adhere to the one-China principle and not provide any platform for "Taiwan independence" so as to avoid causing further damage to peace and stability across the Straits.

Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday the one-China principle is the political foundation of Sino-US relations. The US should adhere to this principle and the three joint communiques regarding Taiwan question, rather than "concoct something unilaterally".

Wang said the US military has recently stirred up trouble by "flexing its muscles" in the Taiwan Straits, sending false signals to "Taiwan independence" forces and threatening regional peace and stability.

"The international community can see very clearly who is coercing on the Taiwan question," he said.

"The DPP authorities' pursuit of 'independence' will not in any way change the fact Taiwan is part of China, nor will it shake the solid practice of the international community which generally recognizes the one-China principle," he said, adding those who forget their roots and secede from the country never end well.