Beijing said Monday that Taiwan’s internal politics did not change the “fact” it is part of China, warning that efforts towards the island’s independence were a “dead end” after it swore in new President Lai Ching-te.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has long threatened to use force to bring the island under its control.
It has described Lai as a “dangerous separatist” for his past comments on Taiwan’s independence — rhetoric that he has moderated in recent years.
Asked about his inauguration Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that Taiwan independence was “a dead end”.
“No matter under what guise or banner, the pursuit of Taiwan independence and secession is doomed to fail,” he added.
“No matter how the internal political situation in Taiwan changes, it will not change the historical and legal fact that both sides of the strait belong to one China,” Wang warned.
“The day of China’s complete unification will come eventually.”
As Lai took office, Chinese state media reported that Beijing had imposed sanctions on three US defence companies over their sales of weapons to Taipei.
Chinese social media network Weibo also blocked hashtags referencing the inauguration, preventing them from trending on the platform used by hundreds of millions in China.
Ahead of the inauguration, Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office said that “Taiwan independence and peace in the strait is like water and fire”.
In his inauguration speech, Lai directly addressed the threat of war following years of growing pressure from China to bring Taiwan under mainland rule.
Lai said a “glorious era of Taiwan’s democracy has arrived” and thanked citizens for “refusing to be swayed by external forces, for resolutely defending democracy”.
