China's Defense Ministry on Wednesday warned Taiwan regional authorities led by Lai Ching-te that the People's Liberation Army will resolutely thwart any "reckless provocations" toward "Taiwan independence."

Jiang Bin, a spokesman for the ministry, made the remarks in a statement in response to a speech delivered by Lai on Wednesday morning. In the speech, Lai said maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is Taiwan's "strategic goal," while also advocating the strengthening of "asymmetric capabilities" and enhancing "whole-of-society defense resilience."

Jiang said that despite the irreversible trend of national reunification and profound changes in the international landscape, Lai remains "obsessed with the illusion" of seeking "independence" by relying on external forces.

Under the guise of so-called "peace," he said Lai has been peddling fallacies of "Taiwan independence," inciting separatist attempts to seek "independence" and resist reunification by force, and trying to alter the fundamental status quo that Taiwan is part of China.

Jiang said Lai has placed his political ambition for "independence" above the well-being of people in Taiwan, describing this as "self-deceiving" and based on a serious miscalculation.

He added that the Lai authorities have ignored the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation and mainstream public opinion on the island, and have colluded with external forces to pursue "independence" and carry out provocations, which he said is the root cause of tensions and instability in the Taiwan Strait.

Jiang also accused the Lai authorities of diverting public funds to curry favor with external forces and forcibly binding people in Taiwan to the "Taiwan independence" agenda, pushing the island step by step toward the danger of conflict.

He warned that no matter how much money is spent or how many weapons are purchased, such moves are "doomed to fail," likening them to "a mantis trying to stop a chariot" or "an egg striking a rock."

"Seeking 'independence' by force leads nowhere, while national reunification is the bright path forward," Jiang said, stressing that "Taiwan independence" and peace across the Taiwan Strait are fundamentally incompatible.

The spokesman said the People's Liberation Army remains on high alert and will continue to take firm measures to deter and thwart any "reckless provocations" toward "Taiwan independence," and to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.