DPP authorities' attempt to court U.S. for secession doomed to fail: spokesman

A Chinese military spokesman on Friday strongly condemned Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te for his recent actions, accusing him of betraying the interests of Taiwan people by courting the United States in pursuit of secession.

At a press conference in Beijing, Zhang Xiaogang, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, responded to a media query regarding recent visits by U.S. congressional lawmakers to the Taiwan region and Lai's provocative remarks.

"Taiwan is a part of China. There is no such a thing as 'defense budget' for Taiwan region. Lai Ching-te, driven by the selfish separatist agenda, squandered hard-earned money of people in Taiwan to fawn on the United States. This is nothing but a treacherous act of selling out Taiwan, bringing disaster to the island, and pushing Taiwan towards the danger of military conflict. Certain forces in the United States are ripping Taiwan off, and care nothing about the safety of Taiwan. All they truly care about is making more money and even profiting from the war," Zhang said.

"We warn the DPP authorities that soliciting U.S. support for secession will not bring security, and resisting reunification through military buildup are doomed to fail. We urge the United States to immediately cease all forms of military contacts with the Taiwan region, stop sending wrong messages to Taiwan separatist forces, and stop undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," he added.

A freight train and a bus collided in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday afternoon, killing at least eight people, local media reported.

At around 15:40, a train collided with a bus at a railway crossing in Ratchathewi District, triggering a fire accompanied by an explosion. Several other cars and motorcycles were also involved.

More than 20 people were injured, according to the Thai transport ministry, as rescuers rushed to the scene to put out the fire and carry out rescue operations.

Deputy Minister of Transport Siripong Angkasakulkiat said in an interview with Thai media that the bus had stopped at the railway crossing due to a red light, preventing the railway barrier from lowering. The freight train was too heavy to brake in time, leading to the collision.