China's reunification inevitable: mainland experts

BEIJING -- Chinese mainland experts highlighted the inevitable trend of cross-Strait peaceful and integrated development and China's reunification, when commenting on the outcomes of recent leadership and legislature elections in Taiwan.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) only gained 40.05 percent of the votes in the leadership election, receiving the least votes for a winning party in 20 years, and will no longer be the biggest and dominant political party in the island's new legislature, signaling that those supporting the DPP are in the minority, said Zhu Songling, professor at Beijing Union University.

Liu Xiangping, an expert on Taiwan studies at Nanjing University, attributed the election outcomes to the poor performance of DPP authorities in terms of economic and social development since 2016 and the party's separatist policies.

Despite its win in the leadership election, nearly 60 percent of voters did not choose the DPP and the size of the opposition could expand further, Liu said.

Zhang Wensheng, deputy director of the Graduate Institute for Taiwan Studies of Xiamen University, voiced concerns about Taiwan's future under the DPP.

As could be judged from the statements made by Lai Ching-te after being elected leader of the island, he has not changed his strategy of confronting the mainland and looking for US support for the DPP's independence agenda, Zhang said.

If Lai sticks with his separatist stance, he will drag Taiwan into the depths of disaster and in the end it will be the people of Taiwan who will suffer, he warned.

Zhu agreed that the DPP's separatist policies will prevent Taiwan from securing peace and prosperity, while also compromising peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

However, the experts also expressed confidence in the inevitable trend of peaceful and stable relations and integrated development across the Taiwan Strait.

The Chinese Kuomintang party secured the most seats in the legislature, while the Taiwan People's Party, which also supports cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, seized eight seats. The result indicated that mainstream public opinion on the island is opposed to "Taiwan independence" and cross-Strait confrontation, and in favor of cross-Strait exchanges, Zhu said.

Meanwhile, the mainland has maintained the initiative and its ability to steer cross-Strait relations and shown commitment to policies that promote cross-Strait cooperation, deepen integration and safeguard the wellbeing of people on both sides, Zhang noted.

People across the Strait, who are one family bound by blood and linked by close economic interactions and cultural exchanges, will not let their relations be severed, said Liu, calling on them to work together in restoring cross-Strait relations to the right track of peaceful development and creating a bright future for all Chinese.