Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, attends a regular news conference, Beijing, June 28, 2023. [Screengrab/CCTV News app]
By Zhang Yi
The United States always prioritizes its own interests, and Taiwan will not be an exception, a Chinese mainland spokeswoman said on Wednesday after the US again intensified its involvement in Taiwan's military affairs against the mainland.
Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks at a news conference in Beijing against the backdrop of media reports that the US has been increasingly involved in training the Taiwan military.
The US Senate Armed Services Committee passed the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act on Friday, which includes a proposal to establish a training program for the Taiwan military.
Zhu said these developments once again displayed that anti-China forces in the US and Taiwan's separatist forces are the instigators and manipulators of the current tension in the Taiwan Strait.
"While some US politicians claimed to hope for peace and stability in the region, they were actually speeding up the militarization of Taiwan and exacerbating tensions in the Strait," she said.
Zhu showed a board at the news conference that displays an analysis of recent US-Taiwan military developments and that sheds light on such connections.
In July last year, US politicians proposed extending Taiwan's military conscription service by at least one year to ensure combat effectiveness, and in December, Taiwan authorities announced the extension to one year.
The island education authority recently introduced a plan that could enable young Taiwan men to complete their mandatory military service while enrolled in university.
The proposed program would allow students who qualify to spend three years enrolled in school and one year enlisted in the armed forces, the latest move by island authorities to facilitate military service.
"We have noticed the widespread dissatisfaction among the public in Taiwan regarding this issue, as the plan clearly undermines the rights of Taiwan university students," Zhu said.
In December last year, the US expressed intentions to establish a regional emergency response stockpile in Taiwan, and in March this year, Taiwan authorities confirmed ongoing negotiations with the US to move its prepositioned stocks in East Asia to Taiwan, according to Zhu.
These are clearly not coincidences, Zhu said, adding that "with the DPP authorities betraying Taiwan's future and the interests of its people, the US is arming Taiwan at an accelerated pace, turning it into a powder keg."
A recent survey conducted by a US university revealed that over 60 percent of Taiwan citizens lack confidence in the US's commitment to defend Taiwan in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
"The results of this poll shed light on the growing awareness among Taiwan people regarding the sinister intentions of the US and the scheming of the DPP authorities," she said.
Lee Jung-jen, chairman of the Revival of the Chinese Alliance, a Taiwan pro-reunification party, said the collusion between "Taiwan independence" and external forces has led to increased tension in the Taiwan Strait, causing great harm to the Taiwan people.
"I hope that the process of reunification of our motherland can move forward quickly because only after reunification can we in Taiwan live a peaceful and prosperous life free from the fear of war," he said.
