BEIJING - The latest military drills conducted by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) around Taiwan Island were a stern warning to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and external interference, said a mainland spokesperson on Wednesday.

The drills were a necessary and just move to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Zhang Han, a spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference.

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Zhang made the remarks in response to a media inquiry regarding drills code-named "Justice Mission 2025" around Taiwan Island, which were conducted by multiple forces of the PLA Eastern Theater Command on Monday and Tuesday. 

Navigation safety

Zhang also said on Wednesday that the recent operations by the mainland coast guard are aimed at maintaining normal navigation order and safeguarding the lives and property of fishermen on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The spokesperson reiterated that both sides of the Strait belong to one China, and that Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu are all part of China, with so-called "prohibited or restricted waters" not existing, when responding to a media query.

Zhang said that for a long time, the Democratic Progressive Party authorities have ignored the historical and factual reality of fishermen from both sides of the Strait working together in traditional fishing grounds.

They have arbitrarily detained or treated mainland fishing vessels and crews in dangerous and rough ways, posing navigational risks and seriously threatening the lives and property of fishermen, the spokesperson added.

'De-Sinicization' attempts doomed to fail 

DPP authorities' "de-sinicization" political maneuvers stemming from their secessionist ambition will never succeed, Zhang made the comments at a regular press conference in response to Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party leader Cheng Li-wun's recent remarks.

While speaking with Taiwan university students, Cheng noted that declaring "I am Chinese" in Taiwan comes with an inexplicable sense of "original sin," which was a direct result of the DPP authorities' malicious political scheming over the past three decades.

Zhang emphasized that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are all Chinese. "This is a historical fact, a cultural consensus, a genetic inheritance and a legal reality that no one can deny," she said.

Zhang further noted that the DPP authorities' attempts to sever cross-Strait historical and cultural bonds, mislead the Taiwan public, muddle historical memories and distort the national identity of Taiwan's younger generation inflict incalculable harm.

She added that voices of condemnation against such moves have been pouring in from all sectors of Taiwan society, and the DPP's political maneuvers are ultimately doomed to fail.