Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhang Han takes reporters' questions on recent hot issues concerning cross-Straits relations on April 1, 2026 during a regular press briefing in Beijing. Photo: VCG

In response to a question regarding Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te’s claim calling on Chinese mainland to stop military buildup in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Taiwan Straits, and to renounce the use of force against the Taiwan region, and its claim that Taiwan region is willing to engage in exchanges and cooperation with Chinese mainland on the principle of equality and mutual respect, so as to promote peaceful coexistence and common prosperity, Zhang Han, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that only when the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities recognize the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle, and put an end to their separatist acts for “Taiwan independence,” can cross-Straits consultation and dialogue be resumed, and can cross-Straits relations return to the right track of peaceful development.

Zhang said at present, the situations in the South China Sea and the East China Sea remain generally stable. The DPP authorities, by stubbornly adhering to the separatist stance of “Taiwan independence” and attempting to seek independence with external support and by force, are the very root cause of tension and turbulence in the Taiwan Straits, and are also the troublemaker for regional peace and stability, Zhang added.

“What I want to emphasize is we are willing to strive for peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and greatest efforts, but we make no promise to renounce the use of force, nor will we leave any room for any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities,” Zhang noted.


Global Times

 

 
Global Times