Taiwan secessionists playing chicken on expressway trying Beijing's patience: China Daily editorial

It is clear that Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen and her secessionist-minded government are colluding with the United States to go further along the road of "Taiwan independence"; upping the ante on their provocative moves to separate the island from the motherland, even if only in the public impression.

Such a brazen betrayal of the nation has ignited rising calls for reunification by force from compatriots on the Chinese mainland.

Last week, Tsai confirmed the presence of a small number of US troops on the island to help with military training, triggering strong opposition and a stern warning from the Chinese mainland.

Both Tsai and her US supporters cannot be so ignorant as not to know that any official or military ties between the US and the Chinese island are a red line that should not be crossed.

In an effort to internationalize the Taiwan question and challenge the internationally recognized one-China principle, the US government has also made a number of erroneous remarks in support of Taiwan's so-called meaningful participation in the United Nations.

The US has also repeatedly sent warships to sail across the Taiwan Straits and then brazenly put the blame on the mainland for stoking tensions in the region.

Such blatant provocations will only consolidate the Chinese people's determination to realize the island's reunification with the motherland.

The Taiwan secessionists' gambling on collusion with outside forces in their pursuit of "independence" and Washington's growing penchant for using the island as part of its strategy to contain China have increased the risks of a head-on conflict in the Taiwan Straits.

The situation in the Taiwan Straits is highly combustible and any misjudgment or misstep will without doubt trigger a clash. However, while making preparations for reunification by forceful means, the mainland is still ready to exhaust all peaceful means first unless forced to act.

While the People's Liberation Army has increased its combat readiness, it has also intensified its efforts to deter the island's secessionists from going a step too far. This is because compatriots on both sides of the Straits belong to the same Chinese family, and those on the island are victims and hostages of Tsai's ill-judged activities.

The attempts of Tsai and her co-conspirators to foster external support for their dangerous pursuit only herald disaster for compatriots on the island if not reined in.

The dreams of secession are nothing but the delusions of misplaced pride. And it has long been cautioned that a haughty spirit comes before a fall. Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits should stand on the right side of history and join hands to achieve the peaceful reunification of the Chinese nation.