Lai and DPP are heedlessly hurtling toward dead end of their own making: China Daily editorial

Taiwan is witnessing its weakest consumer confidence index in over two years and three straight months of manufacturing purchasing managers' index contraction. It is perhaps no wonder then that the island's authorities are trying to divert any blame for their souring of cross-Strait relations by distorting the "rationale" for their actions.

What happened in Taiwan in the past week shows the island's leader Lai Ching-te has become even more desperate in inciting confrontation and sabotaging peace in the Taiwan Strait after he and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party suffered a defeat in their recent "recall vote" campaign targeting legislators of opposition parties.

On Saturday, addressing a so-called "whole-of-society defense resilience committee forum", Lai drummed up Taiwan's determination to "defend" itself in an "emergency", dressing himself up as a "defender" of the island against the Chinese mainland. The forum concluded a week of security-related events on the island, which included the largest ever arms show, with a host of foreign companies participating, and the launch of Taiwan's so-called new security handbook on Tuesday as part of efforts to hype up a "threat" from the mainland.

All this lays bare Lai and the DPP authorities' attempt to find excuses for their separatist activities and bind the innocent people of the Chinese island to the "Taiwan independence" chariot they are trying to drive forward. With Taiwan's armed forces' strength no match to that of the mainland, the DPP authorities have resorted to using the island's 23 million compatriots as leverage.

In recent years, as it has become increasingly fixated on materializing the fantasy of "Taiwan independence", the DPP has indulged in vilifying the mainland and peddling a false narrative that the mainland is a "hostile force" stepping up pressure on the island so as to sow the seeds of hatred among the residents of the island.

The island's bleak economic prospects and the DPP's defeat in the recent "recall votes" are both acute reminders that the DPP authorities should reflect on their secessionist policy, which has caused the souring of cross-Strait ties and prompted the Lai authorities to go to great lengths to rid the island of what they claim to be "elements" associated with the "hostile force". Worse, Lai's currying of favor with the US has only further strained the island's economy and dampened people's confidence in its future.

Lai and the DPP feel no qualms about making public their intention to "internationalize" the Taiwan question by drawing external forces to support their separatist cause. But such attempts are doomed to fail. Beijing has repeatedly warned that the Taiwan question brooks no external interference, and has demonstrated the ability to match its words with deeds.

The farces staged by the Lai authorities have time and again indicated they are determined to lead Taiwan further away from peace and prosperity. This only lays bare their real face as the true troublemaker and saboteur of cross-Strait peace and stability.

Residents on the island are waking up to the fact that Lai and the DPP are only pushing the island further to the brink of a devastating end. This runs counter to Taiwan compatriots' aspirations for peace, stability and prosperity.

Yet, Lai and the DPP continue to selfishly incite hatred toward the mainland and escalate confrontation and hostility across the Taiwan Strait. They are doing nothing but trying to put obstacles in the way of national reunification and push the island away from its motherland.

Taiwan must and will be reunified with the motherland. Lai and the DPP should be warned again that "Taiwan independence" is a countercurrent of history and its pursuit will only lead to a dead end. The realization of complete national reunification is unstoppable by any force.

Lai and the DPP would do better to concentrate on reinvigorating the economy by improving cross-Strait ties rather than burning bridges with their self-destructive scaremongering.