Reunification Continues, China Warns Taiwan Leader 'Independence' Will Not Succeed

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a press conference in Beijing, China on Tuesday (5/12/2023). (ANTARA/Desca Lidya Natalia)

JAKARTA - Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin warned Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen that "Taiwan independence" would not succeed and that reunification with China would continue.

"I would like to emphasize that 'Taiwan independence' is incompatible with peace in the Taiwan Strait, it is even like fire and water. 'Taiwan independence' means war and 'Taiwan independence' is a dead end," Wang Wenbin said at a regular news conference in Beijing , China, as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, December 5.

Wang Wenbin conveyed this when answering journalists' questions about Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen's statement saying at a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rally that she "does not want Hong Kong-style peace, and wants dignified peace" ahead of the 2024 general election in Taiwan .

"Whatever rhetoric the DPP authorities try to use, they cannot cover up the attempt to incite the Taiwanese people on the 'Taiwan independence' war train, this cannot change the fact that the 'Taiwan independence' element is doomed to fail and cannot stop the reunification with China that cannot be changed," said Wang Wenbin.

Under the leadership of Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) since 2016, Taiwan has taken a tough stance against Beijing and the "One China" principle which states that Taiwan is territory under Beijing's control.

The DPP's tough approach to the Taiwan issue has resulted in increasingly heated situations in the Taiwan Strait.

Taipei accuses China of continuing to enter its waters or air defense areas. Taipei also asked for help from the United States (US), which has a fleet in Japan, to deploy military ships to the Taiwan Strait to emphasize the principle of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) then also announced that it had approved arms sales to Taiwan which would take place in two stages. The total value of the transaction was 440 million US dollars, most of the products being ammunition and military support logistics.

Taiwan in September 2023 also launched its first domestically made defense submarine called "Narwhal" or also called "Hai Kun". Narwhal or Hai Kun in Mandarin means "sea monster."

The submarine Tsai Ing-wen said is crucial for Taiwan's navy in terms of strategy and tactics to develop "asymmetric combat power," referring to the ability of a weaker country to defeat a stronger country, namely China, by exploiting its weaknesses.

Authorities under the DPP as of January 2024 also plan to increase the length of mandatory military service to two years. Currently, mandatory military service lasts for four months and is considered insufficient to build mental and defense readiness in the event of conflict.

Taiwan is known to be preparing to hold presidential elections in mid-January 2024.

There are four candidates who will compete, namely Taiwan Deputy Leader William Lai Ching-te as a candidate from the DPP, New Taipei Mayor Citu Hou Yu-ih as a representative from the Kuomintang (KMT), Ko Wen-je from the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) and candidates independent Terry Gou.