Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office

The Chinese mainland firmly opposes any form of military contact between the US and China's Taiwan region, Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a regular press conference on Wednesday. Chen made the remarks in response to a question about recent Taiwan regional media reports claiming that US military personnel have been stationed at Taiwan's "military intelligence bureau" for the first time since the beginning of this year, with speculation that the deployment is related to cooperation in "monitoring the mainland."

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities are deliberately escalating confrontation across the Taiwan Straits, Chen said, warning that the further they go down the wrong path of "seeking independence by relying on external forces" and "seeking independence through military means," the more they will bring destruction upon themselves.