BEIJING, April 1. /TASS/. The comprehensive drills of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) around the island of Taiwan are not aimed at compatriots and should be seen as a warning to separatist forces in Taipei, Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said.
"This is a strong warning against the wild provocations of [Taiwan administration head] Lai Ching-te, who advocates so-called independence for the island, and a serious reminder to separatist forces in response to their deliberate actions to undermine peace across the Taiwan Strait," she said on the Taiwan Affairs Office’s WeChat page.
According to the spokeswoman, Beijing is taking necessary measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. She emphasized that the Chinese authorities "do not intend to tolerate and condone" Lai Ching-te's anti-China policies and will resolutely oppose him.
"Taiwan's independence means war. <...> Our will to resolve the Taiwan issue and complete national reunification is unshakable," Zhu Fenglian added. "Our countermeasures are aimed at separatist activities, not at our compatriots in Taiwan. We hope they will stand on the right side of history," she emphasized.
Earlier, the PLA Eastern Theater Command announced the start of large-scale drills around Taiwan. Land, missile, naval and air forces are taking part. The Chinese army is practicing combat patrols, striking targets at sea and on land, and blocking transportation links and key locations of a suspected enemy.
Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled there after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War. Since then, Taiwan has retained the flag and some other attributes of the former Republic of China that existed on the mainland before the Communists took power. Official Beijing considers Taiwan a province of the People’s Republic of China.