Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said on Wednesday that the drills conducted by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the Taiwan Straits are aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and responding to interference by external forces and provocations by "Taiwan independence" forces.
The spokesman said the drills send a signal that the Chinese mainland is determined to curb "Taiwan independence" and Taiwan's collusion with the U.S.
"We are willing to do our utmost to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification, but will never leave any room for all forms of 'Taiwan independence' secessionist activities," Ma stressed.
"Taiwan issue is an internal affair of China and does not allow any foreign interference. We resolutely oppose the U.S. side's so-called 'Chinese military threat', U.S.'s continuous sending of wrong signals to the 'Taiwan independence' forces and playing the 'Taiwan card,'" Ma added.
"We urge the U.S. to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques and handle Taiwan-related issues in a prudent and appropriate manner," Ma stressed.
He warned that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority's reliance on the U.S. to confront the mainland and seek "Taiwan independence" will only push Taiwan to disaster.
