Cross-Strait dialog denies any attempt at secession: spokesman

Cross-Strait dialog denies any attempt to seek Taiwan secession, said Chen Binhua, spokesman of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

Chen made the remarks in response to a media query about a local institution's expression on cross-Strait relations.

"Both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China, and Taiwan is a part of China. This is a fact that no individual or political party in Taiwan could avoid or deny. To uphold the 1992 Consensus and acknowledge that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, then dialog and equal consultations across the Strait can be carried out. Denying the 1992 Consensus and deviating from the one-China principle in an attempt to seek Taiwan secession, then there is no way to talk about cross-Strait dialog and consultations," said Chen.

"If the so-called 'equal dignity' proposed by the Lai Ching-te regime is equated with the so-called 'state-to-state relationship,' it is an attempt to change the historical and legal fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China. Then that is to make obstacles for the cross-Strait dialog and consultations and will only undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," he said.

Cross-Strait dialog denies any attempt at secession: spokesman

Cross-Strait dialog denies any attempt at secession: spokesman

Cross-Strait dialog denies any attempt at secession: spokesman

Cross-Strait dialog denies any attempt at secession: spokesman

President Vladimir Putin said at a briefing on Saturday that Russian forces had taken control of Hulyaipole, the second largest city in southeast Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region.

According to the briefing, Russian troops also controlled Stepnohirsk in the Zaporizhzhia region and captured Dimitrov (known as Myrnohrad in Ukraine), Rodynske, and Artyomovka in the Donetsk region.

Putin said the takeover of Hulyaipole creates favorable conditions for Russian forces to continue their advance deeper into the Zaporizhzhia region while the capture of Dimitrov was a significant step towards the full seizure of the entire Donetsk region.

The Russian president said the Russian army is fully capable of resolving the issue militarily.

He also said that Russia is trying to end the conflict, but Ukraine is not in a hurry to resolve the conflict peacefully although the West has advised Ukraine to accept a solution.

Ukraine has not yet responded to Russia's statement.

Hulyaipole is located in a strategically important area in southeastern Ukraine, 98 kilometers from the regional capital, Zaporizhzhia.

Russia claims control of Zaporizhzhia's second largest city