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Despite Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party's attempts to enhance military readiness, it cannot withstand the People's Liberation Army's capabilities of countering "Taiwan independence" separatists, nor can it stop the inevitable reunification of the motherland, officials and experts said.

The island's Han Kuang 41 military exercise concluded last week, with DPP authorities claiming it had a historically high number of participants. However, it exposed the DPP authorities' mindset of using the people of Taiwan as cannon fodder, they said, highlighting the outdated equipment and lack of competence among the island's armed forces.

The 10-day Han Kuang exercise, held for twice as long as usual, took place from July 9 to 18. For the first time, it included scenarios of a Chinese mainland attack on Taiwan in 2027, combined with urban defense resilience exercises.

The annual exercise also focused on areas such as gray-zone activity response, joint anti-landing operations and long-lasting defense.

Chen Binhua, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, criticized the exercise in a statement early this month, saying it further damaged peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and jeopardized the safety and well-being of Taiwan's residents.

"The DPP authorities stubbornly adhere to their separatist stance on 'Taiwan independence', inciting cross-Strait confrontation and wasting public resources by pushing for militarization," he said.

The DPP authorities are escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait, attempting to use military force to seek "independence", Chen said, emphasizing that "Taiwan independence" is a dead end and reunification cannot be stopped.

"No matter how much the DPP authorities posture and engage in militarization, it is nothing but a futile display," he added.

Defense Ministry spokesman Jiang Bin criticized in an online news briefing that the Han Kuang exercise is nothing but a bluffing and self-deceiving trick played by the island's DPP authorities to hijack Taiwan compatriots on board its "Taiwan independence" war chariot.

"We warn the DPP authorities that attempting to seek 'independence' through military means is a dead end," Jiang said.

"No matter how they conduct the exercises or what weapons they use, they cannot withstand the PLA's resolute countermeasures against 'Taiwan independence' separatism and cannot stop the historical trend of China's inevitable reunification."

According to Taiwan media, Mei Chia-shu, a high-ranking military official on the island, recently said that the extended exercise time was mainly to respond to the mainland's gray-zone harassment and to practice "defense-in-depth", a tactic aimed at delaying enemy attacks, consuming their combat power and buying time for counterattacks or external assistance.

However, Zhang Junshe, a former researcher at the PLA's Naval Research Academy, said such tactics would not delay the PLA's advance and that the separatist forces are likely to be eliminated by the PLA before external assistance arrives.

"Judging from the PLA's exercises encircling Taiwan in recent years, they will likely eliminate key military forces of the separatists before any external assistance arrives," he said, underscoring that whether it's by fighter jet, missiles or long-range rockets, they can strike key military targets and radar positions on the island.

"They could even conduct decapitation operations to eliminate the command posts of separatist forces," Zhang added.

The inclusion of defense-in-depth in the Han Kuang exercise indicates that the DPP authorities and separatist forces realize that the island's military cannot stop the PLA, he said, pointing out that this strategy essentially involves urban warfare, using the people of Taiwan as human shields, which is highly unethical.

Nevertheless, during the largest-ever Han Kuang exercise, several incidents involving the island's military were exposed, raising serious doubts about the competence of its personnel and equipment.

According to the Taiwan-based United Daily News, on July 12, a Taiwan army light tactical vehicle crashed into a roadside barrier in Kaohsiung city for unknown reasons, damaging the vehicle's front end and injuring three officers.

On July 10, a military M109A5 self-propelled howitzer was mistakenly fired into a small road during a maneuver in Taoyuan city, hitting a residential building and four parked vehicles, according to Taiwan media.

Zhang said these incidents highlighted the outdated equipment and lack of maintenance in Taiwan's military, as well as low morale and competence among the troops.

"If the separatist forces think they can resist the PLA with such military power, it's pure illusion," he said.

Provocative words

However, Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te claimed in the fourth part of his "10 lectures on unity" speech delivered in early July, that Taiwan's military was a capable force for protecting the "nation" and has received positive recognition from the international community.

In his speech, Lai also hyped up the "mainland military threat", advocated for increased military budgets and urged the military to "fight for Taiwan, Penghu, Jinmen and Mazu".

In response, the mainland's Taiwan affairs spokesman Chen criticized the speech by saying it exposed Lai's sinister intentions to seek "independence" by relying on external forces and military means.

"Lai went against the mainstream desire for peaceful development among the island's residents, disregarded the safety and well-being of Taiwan compatriots, and deliberately provoked cross-Strait confrontation, undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Chen said.

"Taiwan independence" is Taiwan's greatest calamity, he emphasized, adding that only by firmly opposing and effectively curbing separatism can peace in the Taiwan Strait be truly maintained.

Defense Ministry spokesman Jiang also rebutted Lai's speech, saying it distorted history, swapped concepts and exaggerated the "mainland threat".

"Lai exaggerated the 'mainland threat', creating security anxieties, and manipulating public opinion in Taiwan," he said, noting that the island leader aimed to militarize Taiwan society and entangle the region's future in the geopolitical games of external forces.

Lai's call to "fight for Taiwan, Penghu, Jinmen and Mazu" is essentially fighting for the DPP's party interests and "Taiwan independence" separatism, deceiving the people of Taiwan onto a path of military resistance to reunification, selling out and destroying Taiwan, Jiang said.

Both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, and that Taiwan, Penghu, Jinmen and Mazu are sacred Chinese territories, with compatriots on both sides being Chinese, he said.

The more vigorously figures like Lai pursue their agenda, the quicker their demise will be, and that armed forces supporting "Taiwan independence" will only meet their end alongside them, the official said, warning that the PLA is confident and capable of shattering any "Taiwan independence" fantasies, resolutely defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Zheng Jian, a professor of Taiwan studies at Xiamen University, said Lai portrayed himself as a defender of peace in the Taiwan Strait, but is actually a maker of danger and war.

He noted that the island leader previously labeled the mainland as a "hostile external force" and proposed 17 strategies to incite anti-China sentiment, attempting to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.

In his speech, Lai also boasted about building an effective deterrent and defeating the mainland's military, and called for whole-society defense involving the people of Taiwan.

Zheng said Lai's goal was to deceive the people of Taiwan into serving as cannon fodder for "Taiwan independence", stressing that his goal would definitely fail.

"Eighty years ago, China defeated the ferocious Japanese invaders, bringing Taiwan back to China's map. Today, with a far stronger Chinese nation, Taiwan will not be allowed to separate from China again," Zheng said.