Reunification will be by force if necessary whether US supports secessionists or not: China Daily editorial

The United States should be aware that no matter what threats it makes or forces it employs, the reunification of Taiwan with the motherland is inevitable. Trying to prevent it will only increase the chances of dragging itself into a military clash with the Chinese mainland.

A spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said on Friday that the diehard secessionists of Taiwan that are on a blacklist drawn up by Beijing will be prosecuted and held accountable for criminal liabilities in accordance with the law.

This is the latest sign that Beijing is stepping up its efforts to curb pro-independence forces, after the vice minister of the office said at a forum on national reunification late last month that the fiscal revenue of the island would only be used to improve the livelihoods of residents on the island.

The spokesperson's remarks come hard on the heels of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley comments on Wednesday, in which he said that the US military absolutely has the capability to defend Taipei, "no question about that". The Taiwan Affairs Office's issuance of the statement demonstrates the Chinese mainland's confidence that the national reunification can be realized no matter who is opposed to it. It also adds to the growing sense that it is now on Beijing's timetable.

For the time being, being blacklisted means organizations related to the individuals and their families will be restricted from cooperating with organizations and individuals on the mainland, and enterprises related to them and their financial backers are not allowed to make profits on the mainland.

After the island's reunification with the motherland, the punishments meted out will be more substantial and proportional to the damage these individuals are judged to have done to cross-Straits relations, peace and stability, and the common interests of compatriots on both sides of the Straits and the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation.

The office's statement should be taken as a warning to any seeking the secession of the island that they will be held accountable for life. Those trying to split the nation will not be able to escape a reckoning.

The remark by US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro on Thursday that "China's intent to one day take over Taiwan, either peacefully or through military means, has a most serious impact on our economic security" exposes the hollowness of the US' reiterations of its commitment to the one-China principle. The US' real intention is to maintain its control over the "unsinkable aircraft carrier" so it can keep using it as a thorn in the mainland's side.

Taiwan compatriots should see through the collusion between the secessionists and Washington as it bodes ill for cross-Straits peace and stability.

Although the secessionists on the island are trying to figure out whether the US really will sacrifice lives for them. That is a moot point. Reunification will happen whether the US supports them or not. The question is if it needs to be done by force. That is something they should ask of their conscience.