Quoting a poem by late Chinese leader Mao Zedong (毛澤東), the Chinese government yesterday said that efforts by Taiwanese and Hong Konger independence supporters to link up were doomed to fail, as they would be dashed to the ground like flies.
Chinese leaders are increasingly concerned about a fledgling independence movement in Hong Kong, which returned to mainland rule in 1997 with a promise of autonomy, and recent protests in the territory.
China is also deeply suspicious of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), elected earlier this year, who Beijing suspects is pushing for independence.
Beijing has already warned about independence activists in both places linking up — Hong Kong activists have visited Taiwan this year — and went further at a routine news conference by China’s policymaking Taiwan Affairs Office.
“A small coterie of Taiwan independence forces are trying in vain to link up with Hong Kong independence [forces] to split the country, which cannot succeed,” office spokesman An Fengshan (安峰山) said.
“It’s just like that saying; ‘On this tiny globe, a few flies dash themselves against the wall,’” An said, quoting a 1963 poem by Mao, lines usually taken to mean that China does not fear its enemies.
“In the end they’ll find themselves broken and bleeding,” he added, without elaborating, using words that are not in the poem.
The comments come amid renewed tension over Taiwan, following US president-elect Donald Trump’s telephone call with Tsai that upset Beijing.
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