US weapons will only bring insecurity to Taiwan region

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Taiwan secessionists have enthusiastically bragged about the warm welcome that China's Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te has received during his "stopovers" in the U.S. territory of Hawaii and Guam, and Washington's potential arms sale of $385 million to Taiwan. Lai as the pragmatic worker for Taiwan "independence" even blatantly called for "democracies" to unite against "authoritarianism" to safeguard peace in the region.

Apparently, gaining Washington's favour is the ultimate purpose of Lai's U.S. "transit" trip. Boasting about the "significant outcomes" of Lai's interactions with Washington, Taiwan secessionists have been indulged in an illusion that the U.S. has Taiwan’s back in the event of any conflict in the region.

The reality, however, is a stark difference. The U.S. will never allow itself to be dragged into a confrontation against the mainland for the sake of Taiwan secessionists.

The Chinese mainland, on several occasions, has urged the U.S. to fully see the separatist nature of Lai Ching-te and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities, fully understand the grave damage of "Taiwan independence" separatist activities to peace and stability in the Taiwan straits, fully abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiqués, and stop meddling in affairs related to Taiwan.

As the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stressed, the Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-U.S. relations. China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the United States and the Taiwan region, and firmly opposes any form of U.S. moves to aid or abet "Taiwan independence" separatists and their separatist activities.

Scenery of the scenic spot of Riyue Tan, or the Sun Moon Lake, in Nantou County, southeast China's Taiwan. [Photo/Xinhua]

The U.S. is clear about the Chinese mainland's stance on the Taiwan question and will never sacrifice its own interests for Taiwan separatists. For American politicians, Taiwan is nothing more than a bargaining chip at the negotiating table. While espousing its "commitment" to "protecting" the island, Washington has maintained a policy of strategic ambiguity towards the Taiwan question, a thinly veiled attempt to leverage the question against the Chinese mainland.

Sadly, Lai-led DPP authorities deliberately turn deaf when confronted with these truths. In his speech at the University of Hawaii's East-West Center in Honolulu, Lai touted his mission to sustain Taiwan's existence and development, buttress defense capabilities and protect the livelihood of the 23 million people of Taiwan. To fulfill this mission, Lai-led DPP authorities have been willingly buying outdated American weapons and are ready to pay "protection" fees to their U.S. "master."

As Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, warned, buying weapons will not bring security, and "protection fees" cannot save "Taiwan independence." Relying on the U.S. to pursue "independence" is destined to fail, and attempting to achieve "independence" through military means will only lead Taiwan toward danger and ultimately to its own demise.

Lai's "loyalty" to the U.S. is instead dragging the Taiwan region into an abyss of misery, with the 23 million Taiwan people being the biggest victims. Shouting the livelihood of people in Taiwan, Lai is, in essence, sacrificing innocent local people's well-being for his pursuit of separatism, which is a dead end.

The Taiwan region shares an inseparable fate with the Chinese mainland. China's reunification is an irreversible trend of history, and Taiwan being a part of China is the international consensus. So far, a total of 183 countries have established diplomatic relations with China, the prerequisite of which is recognizing the one-China principle.

Blatantly provoking the one-China principle under the guise of "peace" and "democracy," Lai is instead the most dangerous turbulence in the region.