NEW DELHI: China issued a stern warning on Monday, stating that any attempts to achieve independence for Taiwan would lead nowhere. The warning came as Taiwan’s new President, Lai Ching-te, was sworn into office.
Beijing considers Taiwan to be a part of its territory and has consistently threatened to use military force to bring the island under its control if necessary.China has labeled Lai as a “dangerous separatist” due to his previous statements regarding Taiwan’s independence, although he has toned down his rhetoric in recent years.
When asked about Lai’s inauguration, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, cautioned, “Taiwan independence is a dead end.” He further emphasized that “No matter under what guise or banner, the pursuit of Taiwan independence and secession is doomed to fail.”
Coinciding with Lai’s inauguration, China imposed sanctions on three US defense companies as a response to their arms sales to Taiwan. Additionally, Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform, blocked hashtags related to the inauguration, preventing them from trending among its hundreds of millions of users in China.
Prior to the inauguration, the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing declared that “Taiwan independence and peace in the strait is like water and fire”.