BEIJING, March 17 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Monday said the drills conducted by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) near Taiwan are a "just and necessary" move to safeguard national sovereignty and peace in the Taiwan Strait.

The drills are also a resolute countermeasure to Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te's act to propagate separatist fallacies aimed at "Taiwan independence" and his act to escalate tensions and confrontation across the Strait, said Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

Chen stressed that "Taiwan independence" and peace in the Strait are as irreconcilable as fire and water.

Since taking office, Lai has obstinately stuck to a separatist "Taiwan independence" stance and repeatedly advocated the new "two states" theory, asserting that the two sides of the Strait do not belong to each other, Chen said.

The spokesperson also condemned Lai for escalating restrictions on cross-Strait exchange, and for intensifying collusion with external forces.

Lai's acts constitute gross provocations against the one-China principle, which have severely undermined cross-Strait relations, continuously pushed Taiwan closer toward the abyss of war, and gravely endangered peace and stability in the Strait, Chen added.

Noting that the Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests and a red line that cannot be crossed, Chen warned the Lai-led authorities that provocations on the matter will only lead to their own destruction. Enditem

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