Mainland: Taiwan military buildup invites disaster

Provocative moves by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities, who have been "colluding with external forces" in pursuit of "Taiwan independence," are the root cause of tensions across the Taiwan Strait and will only lead to "self-destruction," a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense said on Monday.

The remarks followed the mainland's announcement of the activation of the M503 air route's connecting route W121 in the Taiwan Strait. The DPP authorities claimed the move was an attempt to erase the so-called "median line" of the strait and posed a "military threat" to Taiwan.

At a news conference Monday, ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin said Taiwan is part of China and there is no such thing as a "median line" in the strait.

"The activation of the relevant air route is a routine measure based on the needs of civil aviation development and management, benefiting people on both sides of the strait," Jiang said.

He accused the DPP of hyping up a so-called "mainland military threat" to create security anxiety, escalate confrontation and obstruct cross-Strait exchanges. "It goes against the will of the people and is doomed to fail," he said.

Taiwan's defense authorities recently announced the establishment of its first HIMARS company, saying it would enhance precision strike and overall defense capabilities. The island also approved the purchase of 168 US M109A7 self-propelled howitzers.

Jiang criticized the moves, saying, "The DPP authorities are selling Taiwan's interests to flatter the US and squandering the hard-earned money of the Taiwan people to pay 'protection fees.'"

"Buying US weapons to embolden themselves is useless and self-deceiving," he said. "Resisting reunification by force is a dead end. Armed provocations made by the 'Taiwan independence' forces are futile and will only lead to self-destruction."

Jiang called on people in Taiwan to "see through the DPP's true motives of seeking 'Taiwan independence,' realize the dire consequences of separatism, firmly oppose separatist acts and jointly safeguard peace and stability across the strait."