Mainland slams Lai Ching-te's provocative move of transiting through Hawaii

BEIJING -- A Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday slammed Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's plan to transit through Hawaii during his so-called "visits" out of Taiwan.

The Chinese military will resolutely crush any separatist attempt seeking "Taiwan independence" and thwart any external interference, Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, told a press briefing in response to Lai's transit plan.

Noting that China firmly opposes any form of official interactions with its Taiwan region by any countries, Wu said the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' political manipulation and provocation to seek "Taiwan independence" are doomed to fail and can never stop the historical trend of China's reunification.

Wu also urged the US side to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, stop sending wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, and take concrete actions to maintain China-US relations and cross-Strait peace and stability.