Mainland slams DPP seeking "Taiwan independence" by banking on external forces

BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A mainland spokesperson on Tuesday slammed Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority for banking on external forces to embolden itself in seeking "Taiwan independence," saying such acts would only hasten its destruction.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks in response to the trip to Taiwan taken by the former U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen and others, which the DPP authority welcomed.

Zhu warned the DPP authority that colluding with external forces would not ensure security and the people's well-being in Taiwan, but only reduce Taiwan to a pawn of external anti-China forces.

"We firmly opposes the United States engaging in any form of official contact with China's Taiwan region under any pretext," Zhu said, urging the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the relevant provisions in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and to cease playing with fire when it comes to the Taiwan question.