DPP slammed for deliberately conflating Taiwan compatriots with separatists

BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- A mainland spokesperson on Thursday slammed Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities for deliberately confusing the vast majority of Taiwan compatriots with a very small number of diehard "Taiwan independence" separatists in an attempt to slander the mainland.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to a media inquiry about the DPP's distorted narratives on mainland authorities' recent launch of website sections detailing legal penalties for "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and providing public tip-off channels.

The relevant information is available on the websites of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the Ministry of Public Security.

Zhu said that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait strongly support such measures to punish those seeking "Taiwan independence."

Compatriots from across the Strait also understand that the punishment is specifically targeted at the few diehard "Taiwan independence" separatists and their criminal acts of secession, and does not involve the majority of Taiwan compatriots, Zhu said.

She stressed that Taiwan is part of China and that the country will never allow "Taiwan independence" separatist forces to separate Taiwan from China under any name or by any means.

The purpose of rooting out those who undermine cross-Strait relations is to fundamentally safeguard peace and stability across the Strait and ensure the security and well-being of Taiwan compatriots, Zhu said.

An increasing number of Taiwan compatriots are eager to engage in cross-Strait exchanges, she noted, citing data showing 2.083 million visits between the two sides of the Strait from January to June, marking a 99.5 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Of these visits, 1.928 million were by Taiwan compatriots to the mainland, up 103.2 percent year on year.

These figures clearly demonstrate that the overwhelming historical trend of cross-Strait exchange and cooperation will not be impeded by the lies and deception of the DPP authorities and "Taiwan independence" forces, Zhu said.