A Chinese spokesman on Friday condemned the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in the Taiwan region, led by Lai Ching-te, for recklessly selling out and harming Taiwan's interests to seek "Taiwan independence" for their own political gain.
Jiang Bin, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks at a press conference in Beijing in response to media reports which said that Lai proposed that Taiwan's "defense budget" next year should reach at least 3 percent of its GDP and this is viewed as an increase in response to the concerns of the U.S.
"Taiwan is a province of China. There is no such thing as 'defense budget'. Those like Lai Ching-te disregard the well-being of the people on the island, unscrupulously 'kowtowing to the U.S.' in pursuit of 'independence' through foreign influence. They not only disguise the exploitation and oppression from tariffs as negotiation achievements to deceive the public, but they also plan to squander the hard-earned money of the people on the island to pay the U.S. 'protection fees'. Ultimately, that's just throwing good money after bad with no return," said Jiang.
Mainland slams DPP authorities for "selling out" Taiwan to seek "independence"
