BEIJING, October 10. /TASS/. Taiwan is a part of China, and will never be an independent country, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing when commenting on the speech of the head of the Taiwanese administration Lai Qingde on the occasion of Double Ten Day.
"Taiwan has never been a country and will never become one, it has no kind of sovereignty at all," Mao Ning said. According to her, no matter what Lai Qingde and his administration say or do, they will be unable to reverse the historical trend toward "the inevitable unification of China."
Lai Qingde's speech broke the historical link between mainland China and the island, while claiming its sovereignty, the spokesperson noted. He further demonstrated his "foolish and fixed stance on Taiwan's independence, as well as his malicious intention to pursue personal political gains at the risk of escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait," Mao Ning said.
Lai Qingde, the Taiwan administration's head, stated during his speech on the occasion of Double Ten Day that Taipei's efforts to maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait are unchanged. The island will defend its "state sovereignty," he said.
Double Ten Day is celebrated in Taiwan on the 10th day of the 10th month. On October 10, 1911, the Wuchang Uprising took place, which sparked the Xinhai Revolution, resulting in the establishment of the Republic of China.
Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when remains of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled there after losing the Chinese Civil War. Beijing considers Taiwan to be a province of the People's Republic of China.