The spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China, Chen Binhua, rejected the comments of Lai Ching-te, who promised a minimum possibility of military confrontation if he was voted for in the next elections.

“The Democratic Progressive Party authorities stubbornly adhere to Taiwan’s independence stance, intensifying the tense and volatile situation across the Strait and pushing Taiwan towards the brink of war,” the spokesperson stressed.

Chen also noted that respecting the One China principle and opposing separatism is the right way forward.

Lai Ching-te, vice president and candidate for Taiwan’s ruling party, is an advocate for the island’s independence. The Chinese Foreign Ministry recently described him as a troublemaker, capable of dragging with his actions “towards the danger of a military conflict.” According to Beijing, he is “someone who has no guilt feelings about betraying his nation’s interests to forward his selfish agenda and shamelessly requesting US support.”

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs deplored Washington’s decision to receive Lai Ching-te a few months ago, a fact that it classified as a serious breach of China’s territorial sovereignty.

“Resolving the Taiwan question and achieving complete national reunification is the shared hope of all Chinese people and a historical trend that cannot be changed,” the Foreign Ministry stressed on several occasions.

182 countries, including the United States, support the One China principle, which states that the entire national territory, including Taiwan, is part of China, with its central government in Beijing.

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