DPP accused of prioritizing politics over public welfare

A Chinese mainland spokesman on Wednesday accused Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities of prioritizing political self-interest over public welfare, citing mounting pressures on industries and households on the island.

Chen Binhua, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks at a regular news conference, saying the DPP authorities have allowed foreign forces to impose sweeping demands involving strategic industries and market access while engaging in opportunistic practices such as tailor-made subsidies that benefit their "green cronies", people or groups that are politically close to or benefiting from the DPP.

Chen said that despite economic figures highlighted by the DPP authorities, prices on the island have continued to rise, wealth inequality has widened and traditional industries are facing growing difficulties.

He said wage growth for ordinary residents has remained sluggish, while a growing sense of deprivation among the public has become increasingly evident.

Chen criticized the DPP authorities for resorting to self-praise instead of addressing pressing issues affecting industries and people's livelihoods amid public dissatisfaction.

"This fully demonstrates that they care only about political self-interest and have no regard for people's well-being, which will inevitably further erode public support," he said.

On June 10, a large-scale power outage occurred in Taichung, affecting more than 140,000 households. Another unexpected blackout struck Changhua county on June 11, affecting nearly 4,000 households. Meanwhile, the DPP authorities have repeatedly claimed that Taiwan will not face electricity shortages before 2034.

Describing the DPP authorities' claims as empty rhetoric and self-deception, Chen said frequent power outages and rising electricity prices have become persistent concerns for both businesses and residents in Taiwan.

He warned that unless the DPP authorities change their current energy policies, the island's electricity shortage problem will continue to worsen.

"As the mainland has built the world's largest power supply system and clean energy generation system, cross-Strait power cooperation could help improve Taiwan's energy mix and power supply system, and contribute to addressing the island's electricity shortage problem," he added.