Unification will prevail, and ‘Taiwan independence’ will perish, says mainland spokesperson on Lai Ching-te’s fallacy made in US broadcast interview

Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te is once again distorting the truth, making outrageous claims, and hyped the "mainland threat," said Chen Binhua, spokesperson for Taiwan Affairs Office of State Council on Wednesday, adding that the secessionist regional leader is peddling the separatist fallacy of "Taiwan independence," advocating for "independence through military means" and "relying on external forces for independence," while deceiving the public on the island and international opinion.

The remarks were made in response to Lai's provocative and reckless rhetoric made during an interview with a US broadcast program, during which he once again hyped the "new two-state theory" of "mutual non-subordination," falsely claimed that military exercises conducted by mainland undermine peace and stability in the "Indo-Pacific" region, and advocated an increase in Taiwan region's military spending and collaboration with the so-called "democratic camp" to exert "deterrence."

Lai's rhetoric was made during an interviewed by a conservative US radio show and podcast The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

Since Lai took office more than a year ago, he has gone against the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan region, stubbornly adhering to a "Taiwan independence" stance, vigorously promulgating separatist rhetoric, and continuously inciting "anti-China" sentiments, said the spokesperson, noting that this has escalated cross-Straits tensions and heightened confrontations, pushing Taiwan island into a precarious situation. At the same time, he has shown an unprincipled inclination to pander to foreign powers and has recklessly squandered public resources. By submitting to external forces and compromising Taiwan region's interests, he has severely harmed the livelihoods of local businesses and people, jeopardizing island's economic lifeline and future development prospects, the spokesperson said.

"Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secessionist authorities in Taiwan island may feel uneasy fearing that they might be treated by Washington as a bargaining chip and traded away," Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

In July, Lai Ching-te has delayed his planned trip to Latin America to visit so-called "diplomatic allies" after the US rejected his planned "transit" through New York. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that the one-China principle is a fundamental norm in international relations and a prevailing consensus of the international community.

In September, US President declined to approve more than $400 million in military aid to Taiwan island this summer, according to Washington Post.

Lai's words reflect his malicious intention of seeking to be a pawn of the US and stubborn adherence to the separatist stance of "Taiwan independence" and his willingness to allow external forces to interfere in China's internal affairs. This approach will only undermine the well-being of the people in Taiwan, Li said.

While Lai verbally sought support from the US, the head of Taiwan region's so-called defense authority hyped plans to gradually increase defense spending to five percent of GDP, following a US official's remarks urging the region to hike military spending, Taiwan regional media udn.com reported.

A nominee for the Pentagon's senior official for the Indo-Pacific region said recently that he strongly supported US President in saying that Taiwan should spend up to 10 percent of its GDP on defense, Reuters reported.

By submitting to external forces and compromising Taiwan region's interests, Lai has severely harmed the livelihoods of local businesses and people, jeopardizing island's economic lifeline and future development prospects, the spokesperson said.

"We have a firm will, strong determination, and powerful capabilities to crush all 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities and external interference, safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and protect the safety and well-being of the people of Taiwan," said the spokesperson on Wednesday. "Unification will surely prevail, 'Taiwan independence' will surely perish," the spokesperson emphasized.