Lai authorities trying to hijack public opinion

The Lai Ching-te authorities of Taiwan have responded to the latest guidelines Beijing released on the punishments for Taiwan secessionists according to the law by alleging that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait do not belong to each other and the Chinese mainland has no jurisdiction rights over the island.

Yet they contradicted that claim by adding that more than 90 percent of the residents in Taiwan will be impacted by the guidelines.

The Lai authorities also raised the warning on travel to the mainland and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions to "orange" to try and substantiate their allegation that these destinations are not safe for Taiwan tourists.

These practices completely disregard the facts and call white black. They are malicious slander and smears against the mainland and naked deception and intimidation of the people of Taiwan.

The nature of the Taiwan question as an internal affair of China is indisputable, and the legal fact that Taiwan is a part of China is clear. Although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have not yet been reunified, the status of Taiwan as a part of China's territory has never changed and will never be allowed to change. China's sovereignty and territory have never been divided and will never be allowed to be divided.

It is reasonable and legal to punish secessionists in accordance with the law for trying to split the country or inciting actions aimed at the splitting of the country. The nation will never allow the secessionist forces to cleave Taiwan from its motherland in any name or by any means. Only by severely punishing them can the country truly maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and effectively protect the interests and wellbeing of Taiwan compatriots.

In other words, punishing the secessionists is a due obligation of the country to defend its national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and is also a just act to safeguard the common interests of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation.

The Lai authorities deliberately confuse the vast majority of Taiwan residents with the handful of secessionists, attempting to take the opportunity to intimidate Taiwan residents, hijack public opinion, and drag Taiwan compatriots into the "Taiwan independence" camp.

What Taiwan residents demand is not the blocking of exchanges across the Strait but that the Democratic Progressive Party authorities lift restrictions and obstructions to promote exchanges.

As always, the mainland welcomes and supports Taiwan compatriots to participate in cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation in various fields, enhance their understanding of the mainland, share the opportunities of the motherland's modernization, and jointly create the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with their mainland counterparts.