Speech advocating independence slammed

A Chinese mainland spokesman slammed Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen's speech on Sunday, saying the address advocated "Taiwan independence", incited confrontations with the mainland and distorted facts.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that under the guise of so-called consensus and unity, Tsai had attempted to kidnap public opinion in Taiwan and collude with foreign forces for her purpose of independence.

On Sunday, Tsai delivered a speech during which she claimed to defend the island from the mainland's rising "pressure" for reunification.

In terms of the current cross-Straits relations, Tsai said her position remains the same in "maintaining the status quo", but she will not bow to "pressure".

Ma said: "Tsai's so-called maintaining the status quo is nothing but an attempt to deceive the world."

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party authority's provocations to seek independence remain the source of tension and turbulence in cross-Straits relations and the biggest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, Ma said.

The DPP authority, which seeks "Taiwan independence" and denies the 1992 Consensus that embodies the one-China principle, has broken the foundation for cross-Straits dialogue, he said.

"Isn't that a change of the status quo?" he said.

"The DPP authority is unable to deceive the people on the island and the international community by confusing public opinion," he added.

Ma said the mainland's crackdown on secessionists targets the DPP authority and the Taiwan independence forces, and is not aimed at the majority of Taiwan compatriots.

Since taking office, the DPP's governance has been poor, leading to complaints about people's livelihood. Instead, the DPP has devoted itself to dividing Taiwan society and severing the ties between the people of Taiwan and Chinese culture and the nation, Ma said.

"If Tsai packages Taiwan independence as 'democracy and freedom' and boasts that Taiwan is getting better, she underestimates the intelligence of the Taiwan people," he said.

The complete reunification of the motherland is the common aspiration of all the Chinese nation at home and abroad, Ma said, adding that "The motherland must and will be reunited".

He stressed that national reunification by peaceful means best serves the interests of the Chinese nation as a whole.

The mainland is willing to resolve cross-Straits differences on the basis of the one-China principle, promote the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and advance the peaceful reunification of the country, he added.

He called on Taiwan compatriots to work with the mainland to crush any attempts of Taiwan independence and create a better future for the reunification and rejuvenation of the nation.