On the afternoon of May 28, at a regular press briefing, Ministry of National
Defense spokesman Senior Colonel Jiang Bin answered reporters. He was asked to
comment on remarks during US President TRUMP’s visit to China, in which TRUMP
said he did not want Taiwan "independence" and that the US had no intention of
fighting a war 9,500 miles for Taiwan, and on Democratic Progressive Party
figure Lai Ching‑te’s claims that Taiwan will never be used as a bargaining
chip, that he will "defend the 'Republic of China' status quo" and that there is
no "Taiwan independence" issue. Jiang said "Taiwan independence" and peace in
the Taiwan Strait are irreconcilable, and that safeguarding peace and stability
in the Taiwan Strait is the largest common denominator between China and the US.
He said Lai, who previously openly called himself a "practical Taiwan
independence activist," is now pretending there is no "Taiwan independence"
issue as a rhetorical disguise after being harshly disproved by reality; this,
Jiang said, shows that pursuing "Taiwan independence" has reached a dead end and
that the illusion of "seeking independence by relying on the US" will ultimately
be shattered.
