China accused Taiwan's new leader, Lai Ching-te, of sending a "dangerous signal" in his inaugural speech Monday by "stubbornly" seeking the island's independence and making provocations that could undermine cross-strait peace and stability.
Chen Binhua, a spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement Lai "wantonly advocated separatism, incited cross-strait confrontation and sought independence by relying on foreign support" in his speech after taking office earlier in the day.
Lai has ignored mainstream public opinion on the island, which seeks peace and development instead of war and recession, and exposed his nature as "a worker for Taiwan independence," Chen added.
In the speech, the leader of the ruling, independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party vowed that the self-ruled island will maintain the status quo in cross-strait relations and sought dialogue with Beijing, which has shunned talks with the DPP government since Lai's predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, took office in 2016.
Lai also urged China, which has regularly sent military vessels and warplanes near the island, to stop its military and political threats. Beijing has put pressure on countries that maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan, with the number of such countries now standing at 12.
Separately, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press conference in Beijing that Taiwan independence is "doomed to fail" and separatists pursuing that goal would face a "dead end."
He said nothing can change the fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to "one China," and that the historical trend toward China eventually being reunified with Taiwan is unstoppable.
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