On March 14, State Council Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesperson Chen Binhua answered reporters’ questions.
Lai Ching-te attended a so-called “30 Years of Direct Elections for the Taiwan Regional Leader and Democratic Resilience Symposium” today, where he openly claimed that the election demonstrated that “Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country.” He fabricated the fallacy that “democracy equals sovereignty,” played up the “mainland threat,” advocated “seeking independence through force,” and incited slogans such as “resist China, protect Taiwan” and “democracy versus authoritarianism.” A reporter asked for comment.
Chen Binhua said that Lai’s remarks were yet another carefully cobbled-together and packaged “Taiwan independence confession,” once again brazenly challenging the one-China principle and fully exposing Lai’s intransigent “Taiwan independence” nature and clearly malicious intentions.
He said Lai was using so-called “electoral democracy” to manufacture a basis for Taiwan’s non-existent “statehood,” fabricating a “Chinese threat to Taiwan,” clamoring about “defending sovereignty,” creating a false narrative of “democracy confronting authoritarianism,” and inciting cross-strait antagonism and confrontation. This, Chen said, completely distorts Taiwan’s history and departs from basic facts. Its purpose is to mislead the public, confuse the issue, stir up “resist China, protect Taiwan,” and pursue “independence through force” and “rejecting unification through force.” In essence, it undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and pushes Taiwan toward war.
Chen said that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China and Taiwan is part of China—historically and legally clear. Although the two sides have not yet been fully reunified, China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity have never been divided. Taiwan has never been a country and cannot become one; there is fundamentally no such thing as “sovereignty.” No matter how elections are held in the Taiwan region, or who is elected, it cannot change Taiwan’s status as part of China, cannot sever the unbreakable historical and legal ties across the Strait, and cannot overturn the iron rule that Taiwan’s future can only be decided jointly by all Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots. Differences in systems are not an obstacle to unification, still less an excuse for separation. “We will never allow anyone or any force to use democracy as a pretext to pursue a ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist agenda.” Chen warned that people like Lai should not miscalculate: if they dare to take reckless risks, they will bring about their own destruction.
Chen added that no matter what Lai says or does, he cannot change the basic trajectory of cross-strait relations, nor can he stop the historical trend that the motherland will eventually be reunified—and must be reunified. He said he hoped Taiwan compatriots would clearly recognize Lai and the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces’ ambitions and selfish aims, uphold the greater national cause, stand on the right side of history, and join hands with them to oppose “Taiwan independence” separatist acts, firmly safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and protect the shared homeland of the Chinese nation.