Taiwan slammed for 'democracy summit'

A Chinese mainland spokesman on Wednesday slammed Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authority for sending representatives to the so-called democracy summit hosted by the United States last week.

Describing the DPP's participation in the summit as a "big joke" at a news conference in Beijing, Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said it only exposed the DPP authority's nature of seeking "independence" in the disguise of democracy.

Ma used 10 questions against the so-called democracy of the DPP and listed its wrongdoings after Audrey Tang, a member of the island's administrative authority, attended the "Summit for Democracy" initiated by the US on Thursday and Friday, which excluded the mainland.

"How can it be called democracy when the DPP, out of its selfish interests, suppressed dissenting groups on the island, manipulated ethnic confrontation and divided Taiwan society?" Ma asked.

"What kind of democracy is it to play up the so-called military threat from the Chinese mainland, purchase arms from foreign countries with the people's hard-earned money, and even tie the Taiwan people on the 'independence' chariot to disaster?" he asked.

"Is it democracy when they don't live up to the promises they have made to people during electoral campaigns?" he added.

Ma also blasted the DPP for suppressing political parties, organizations and individuals that advocate cross-Straits exchanges and support reunification, spreading false information to smear the mainland, and interfering in Hong Kong affairs.

Ma also denounced Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen, who claimed no external pressure can affect Taiwan's commitment to "democracy and human rights" at a "security dialogue" on Tuesday, during which US and Japanese politicians claimed to support Taiwan against the mainland.

He said the current tensions across the Taiwan Straits are rooted in the DPP's provocations for "independence" and some Western anti-China politicians' attempts to use Taiwan to contain the mainland.

"It's playing with fire," he said, urging them to stop such acts.