This photo taken on Aug. 26, 2026 shows an area near Gyirong Port in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. A mudslide struck near Gyirong Port in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Wednesday, with people feared missing, local authorities said. Photo: Xinhua

Recently, a severe mudslide struck the Gyirong border port area of Gyirong county, Xigaze, between China and Nepal, causing heavy casualties, missing persons, and significant property losses. This sudden disaster has drawn deep concern from the international community. At a critical moment when all efforts are focused on emergency rescue and disaster relief, however, certain opportunistic actors have seized the tragedy as a pretext for political manipulation, brazenly injecting so-called "Taiwan independence" narratives into expressions of sympathy, treating a natural disaster as a tool for political exploitation and shamelessly engaging in what can only be described as "profiting from human suffering."

Make no mistake - this refers to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities. In recent days, figures such as Hsiao Bi-khim and Joseph Wu have posted messages on social media that deliberately use the term "Xizang-Nepal border," while completely avoiding any reference to China. The political intent behind this maneuver is self-evident: it seeks to obscure the fact that Xizang is part of China, thereby subtly advancing a separatist stance. Some pro-DPP media outlets have followed suit, adopting the same terminology. This further exposes the separatist nature of the DPP authorities: they show cold indifference toward the suffering of compatriots, yet display enthusiasm for manipulating divisive political narratives. The political self-interest embedded in every word is laid bare - how brazen, how chilling!

This is merely another concentrated expression of the DPP authorities' long-standing approach. They engage in "anti-China" rhetoric, collude with external forces, undermine cross-Straits relations, and hollow out Taiwan region's economy - yet have they ever truly cared about the well-being of the people of Taiwan? Rising electricity prices, increasing livelihood pressures, and worsening economic burdens are ignored. The import of "ractopamine pork" and "nuclear food" that raise health concerns is met with indifference. They willingly hand over Taiwan region's semiconductor champion TSMC and serve as a frontline proxy in the US containment strategy against the Chinese mainland. In their eyes, the hardships of ordinary people are nothing more than instruments to be used. What right does such a political party or authority have to speak of "democracy" and "freedom"? And what legitimacy do they have to claim to "represent the people of Taiwan region"?

Xizang is an inalienable part of China's territory - this is a fact widely recognized by the international community and a sovereignty red line that brooks no challenge. There is no difference between this and the fact that the island of Taiwan is also an inalienable part of China. By prioritizing narrow partisan interests over national unity, "Taiwan independence" separatist forces have fully exposed their ambitions. They have long been condemned by history and rejected by the people on both sides of the Straits.

At this moment, we stand in solidarity with our compatriots in the disaster zone as we overcome difficulties together. In the grand journey of national rejuvenation, people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits will ultimately move forward hand in hand and create a shared future. Those who survive by exploiting human suffering will eventually be discarded by history and public opinion.