Mainland warns US against letting Taiwan separatists push confrontation

A Chinese mainland spokeswoman said Wednesday that the United States should avoid allowing a "very small number" of "Taiwan independence" separatists to drag Beijing and Washington into a "dangerous situation of confrontation."

Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, reiterated at a news conference that the Taiwan question is China's internal affair and brooks no external interference. She criticized the administration of Lai Ching-te for militarizing the island and attempting to rely on foreign forces to pursue independence, warning that such actions endanger the safety of the people in Taiwan.

Her remarks followed Lai's proposal of a $40 billion supplementary defense package for arms purchases from the US, as well as recent US media reports speculating about the Chinese mainland's military capabilities regarding Taiwan.

"The current complex situation in the Taiwan Strait is fundamentally caused by the Lai authorities' stubborn 'Taiwan independence' separatist stance and their continued collusion with foreign forces to provoke tensions," Zhu said. She added that independence is a "dead end" and that reunification is "inevitable."

In December, the Democratic Progressive Party authorities began organizing a series of 16 "civil defense safety guidelines" briefing sessions at temples across the island. During these sessions, Taiwan's "interior affairs" department reportedly discussed military threats from the mainland.

Zhu condemned the DPP for turning temples, originally places of tranquility, into "arms depots for stockpiling weapons and venues for beating the drums of war." She called the practice a "desecration of religious belief."

The spokeswoman noted that the DPP has repeatedly obstructed cross-Strait religious exchanges and smeared deities such as Mazu and Guan Gong as "tools of united front work." Zhu alleged the authorities are now using temples to deceive voters and manufacture hatred. According to Zhu, the conduct of DPP politicians has already drawn strong criticism from the public.

Zhu also urged the US to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, stressing that the mainland firmly opposes any form of military ties between Washington and Taipei.

On Dec 11, the US Senate passed the Providing Our Regional Companions Upgraded Protection in Nefarious Environments Act, or the PORCUPINE Act, to facilitate arms sales to Taiwan. The move was welcomed by the DPP.

Zhu expressed strong opposition to the US Congress's push for the bill, calling on Washington to stop "arming Taiwan" and refrain from interfering in China's internal affairs.

"Driven by self-serving separatist motives, the DPP authorities are willing to let external forces turn the island into a 'war hedgehog' and reduce the Taiwan people to cannon fodder," Zhu said.