A Chinese mainland spokesperson said Thursday that reunification is the only path for Taiwan's future and that Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te, as an instigator of tensions and a chief driver of division within Taiwan society, has no standing to speak of "democracy" or "peace."

Chen Binhua, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks in response to Lai's recent statements. Chen said Lai's comments hype up the false narrative of "democracy versus authoritarianism" in an attempt to mislead the people of Taiwan and international opinion.

On Wednesday, Lai Ching-te said that "Taiwan will firmly maintain the status quo and strengthen its 'defense' capabilities" and asserted that "democracy is Taiwan's only direction."

Denouncing Lai's rhetoric as advocating "independence" through force and by relying on foreign backing, Chen said Lai has long promoted separatist fallacies and stoked cross-Strait confrontation.

He accused Lai of squandering public resources and militarizing the island for the selfish interests of his party and himself — actions that, he warned, are pushing Taiwan toward the dangerous brink of conflict and forcing the public onto the reckless "chariot of separatism."

"On the island, Lai has imposed 'authoritarian rule,' repeatedly trampling on democracy, undermining freedoms, and abusing the judiciary to suppress and persecute political opponents, creating a climate of 'green terror,'" Chen said.

Chen further criticized Lai for clinging to confrontational thinking, defying mainstream public opinion on the island, and undermining democracy and the rule of law. He described Lai as both "the instigator of tensions and turbulence in the Taiwan Strait" and "the primary source of division within Taiwan society," adding that he has no credibility when speaking of "democracy" or "peace."

He stressed that peace is the shared aspiration of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and that reunification is the only direction for Taiwan's future. The current struggle against "Taiwan independence," Chen said, is not a contest between political systems but a struggle between reunification and secession, between justice and wrongdoing.

"We are willing to create ample space for peaceful reunification, but we will never leave any room for any form of 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities," he said.